Details
Movie Description
Jan Svankmajer's fourth feature is the story of a thirtysomething couple who, despite their infertility, yearn to have a baby. When Karel (Jan Hartl), the husband, digs up a stump that resembles a newborn, he varnishes it and presents it to his wife, Bozena (Veronika Zilkova), hoping to comfort her and fill the void in their lives. To his astonishment, Bozena immediately begins treating the stump like a real child, and the two dub the stump Otik. Karel's astonishment grows when Bozena manages to nurse Otik into a mewling, living baby, a newborn with a wooden body and a voracious appetite. It isn't long before Otik devours the family cat and the postman, forcing the couple into a quandary. However, Alzbetka, their precocious pre-adolescent neighbor, has discovered the couple's secret by reading a Czech folk tale that parallels the strange occurrences next door, giving the young girl an idea of her own for Otik.
As in Svankmajer's superb 1996 film CONSPIRATORS OF PLEASURE, the director uses his trademark stop-motion animation sparingly and focuses on his characters' desires, invariably making them seem perverse (food is always particularly grotesque in Svankmajer's universe). Brilliant, funny, and frightening, LITTLE OTIK is a wonderfully entertaining and disturbing film.
Film Notes
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Single Side - Single Layer
Full Frame - 1.33
Additional Release Material:
Production Interviews - 1. Jan Svankmajer - Director
Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer
Short Films - 1. THE FLAT (1969)
Text/Photo Galleries
Production Notes
Photo Gallery
Original Production Date: 2000.
Industry Reviews
"...LITTLE OTIK may be the director's most subversive feature yet....Svankmajer remains untamed....It is precisely for this reason that he deserves our attention..."
Film Comment - p.74 - Michael Bregant (11/01/2001)
"...LITTLE OTIK is a handmade dream, cobbled together from dirt, wood and more imagination than most of us can muster in our most fevered states..."
New York Times - p.E5 - Elvis Mitchell (12/19/2001)
"...An acquired taste that fans will likely enjoy..."
Box Office - p.63 - Tim Cogshell (03/01/2002)
"...With the boldly bizarre, darkly funny but poignant LITTLE OTIK prodigious Czech filmmaker Jan Svankmajer once again creates his unique blend of live-action and animation..."
Los Angeles Times - p.C6 - Kevin Thomas (02/15/2002)
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