Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) (2010)

The film uses a mix of cut-out animation from photographs and live-action segments, and tells the story of a married man who lives a double life in his dreams, where he is married to another woman.

Director:

Jan Svankmajer

Writer:

Jan Svankmajer (screenplay)

Stars:

Václav Helsus, Klára Issová, Zuzana Krónerová

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Václav Helsus	...	Evzen / Milan
Klára Issová	...	Evzenie
Zuzana Krónerová	...	Milada (as Zuzana Kronerová)
Daniela Bakerová	...	MUDr. Holubová
Emília Doseková	...	Super-ego
Marcel Nemec	...	Colleague
Jan Pocepický	...	Antiquarian
Jana Olhová	...	Prostitute
Pavel Nový	...	Janitor
Karel Brozek	...	Boss
Miroslav Vrba	...	Fikejz
Frantisek Polata	...	Doctor
Ludmila Hanuláková	...	Cashier in Sportipo
Lenka Dvorská	...	Cashier in cinema
Vaclav Jezek	...	Waiter

Storyline

The film uses a mix of cut-out animation from photographs and live-action segments, and tells the story of a married man who lives a double life in his dreams, where he is married to another woman.

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Plot Keywords:

dream | surrealism | part animation | 

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Taglines:

Psychoanalytická komedie (A psychoanalytical comedy)

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Fantasy | Mystery

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Details

Official Sites:

Athanor [Czech Republic] Bontonfilm [Czech Republic]

Country:

Czech Republic Slovakia Japan

Language:

Czech

Release Date:

16 September 2010 (Slovakia)

Also Known As:

Surviving Life

Company Credits

Production Co:

Athanor, C-Ga Film, Ceská Televize

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References La Dolce Vita (1960)

User Reviews

Surviving Jan's bloody films!

I first discovered Jan Svankmajer when I watched the insane 'comedy' Conspirators of Pleasure on Channel 4 one night. It's a 70 minute film which contains no dialogue and concerns a handful of characters who indulge themselves in strange fetishes. These include inhaling small balls of bread and dressing up as a chicken and prancing around a mannequin. It's one of the most surreal experiences I've ever had and whilst I didn't particularly 'like' it, I certainly could never forget it! So when another Jan film popped up on the telly, I couldn't resist giving it a record!

Whilst Surviving Life isn't quite as bizarre as Conspirators of Pleasure, it is certainly about as unconventional as you can get. For a starters an animated photo of Jan himself pops up and tells us about how they had to use photos instead of real-life locations because the budget was so small. He then went onto say that this introduction isn't here because he's a narcissist, rather that the film was too short without it. This is of course a load of baloney as the film was far too long even without the introduction! Although it did make me chuckle.

So the film is partly animated and partly live acted. It flicks between animated photo to live acting in a distracting manner. The fact that all the live parts are filmed in a big close-up makes the film a very claustrophobic experience. In the end it became quite irritating, however I can appreciate the amount of effort that went into making its unique style. You do have it to hand it to Jan though, as he's one of the very few directors trying something new in the world of film.

The story itself isn't much cop. It's about a man who wants to dream in order to carry out an affair with a young woman. However, various complications arise as we learn what his dreams really mean with the help of a psychoanalyst. It's not particularly engaging, and it runs on for far too long. However, I do have to say that the last scene was incredibly clever and fairly disturbing. It does go to show that the story is much deeper than it first appears.

I doubt that most people would be able to tolerate Surviving Life. It did begin to wear out after the first hour, and the comedy aspects are far more disturbing than funny. Seeing a man with a dog's head have sex with a poodle isn't my idea of a fun night out! I do admire the effort that was put into the animation though, and it is refreshing to see a wholly unique style being used. Unfortunately, despite a intelligent ending, the film is definitely more style over substance.