Nourriture

The film goes as the summary tells but it is much more than that. Otherwise it would be another boring idea with no details. The major focus is on the lunch, other meals appearing to be only preface and epilogue, which is pacing faster and faster to reach a point of craziness at one time dumbfounding and mesmerizing. The contest and contrast between two diners are not on how fast we can eat but on what can be eaten and how do we eat them.

This short piece is a good example because the audience feels that it refers to something which cannot be clearly identified, thus allows for multiple explanations. You can substitute 'eat' with various other words, to see what you get there, and you are no where near the director's idea. Maybe he didn't have one at all!

Very funny surrealist partially animated dark comedy. It is divided in three segments with independent weird situations: breakfast, lunch and dinner. The first one is by far my favourite, and I would give it a 4.5. I laughed out loud! Luch is also good, and reminds me the style of another famous film by Svankmajer, Virile Games/Manly Games; however, it is the less impressive, and I rate it with a 3.5. The dinner segment, the shortest, have a 4.0 and it is quite funny and cheeky.

What strikes me about this movie it is how little I can give to make much sense of it. I guess it has some social comments on it, about our consumption and our consumerism society, on life and everything else. But most importantly, it doesn't really matter, you get to just experience, pay attention and to be in that state of not getting it. I think that might be the experience to have, unlearning things. Turning them upside down, to transform them. In a personal level it affected me, after seeing a sequence of his shorts and this one, to be more conscious on how we act and driven our desires, you know that feeling of salivating when you think about a bacon sandwich, it has stopped, and it was interesting to be that far apart, to change that programming to one that wasn't completely destructive and irrational.

All this conversation, reminded me of that Elliott Smith song called, "A distorted reality is now a necessity to be free."

Jan Svankmajer is the most unusual stop-motion filmmaker whose work I have seen. Instead of the typical models which are brought to life using this method, Svankmajer takes everyday objects or creepy stuff he's found, perhaps, in antique shops to create films that are truly unique.

I hate reviewing the films of Jan Svanmajer, as each time I see one of his films I am convinced that it's THE weirdest film the man has ever made. And yet, time and again, I find I am wrong, as some other film of his turns out to be even weirder. This is definitely true of "Food"--a truly bizarre and fanciful film that is really impossible to describe--you just need to see it for yourself. I will TRY to briefly explain what the film is like. As in other Svankmajer films, this one uses stop-motion but in this film it's mostly to animate people--making them move in a very jerky and robotic manner. What, exactly, they do is beyond belief but always involves the eating process. It consists of a segment about several different meals and all are VERY creative and ultra-strange--so strange that you might want to show this one to others. And, unlike a few of his films, this one is okay to show to most kids--it's creepy but in a very cartoony way. And, interestingly, it also uses some claymation which is blended into the characters. Very much worth seeing--especially if you are a bit weird yourself (which I happily am). I assume that this is NOT for everyone's taste.

Not to be missed!

'Food (1992)' is a Czech short film comprised of three distinct segments: breakfast, lunch and dinner. The first involves a man entering a room and following a bizarre set of instructions to receive his meal, the second follows a pair of diners who are unable to get their waiter's attention and decide to eat whatever they can get their hands on instead, and the final is about a series of high-society people who are so focused on the extravagant garnishes they've been provided with that they fail to realise exactly what it is they've been served (or, perhaps, they just don't care). Initially, director Jan Svankmajer wanted to create this short back in the 70s, but was unable to do so due to the Communist rule in his country. By the time the 90s rolled around, the Velvet Revolution had occurred and the filmmaker was now free to create what would become a scathing commentary on the very people who prevented it from being made in the first place. The subtext of the picture is very clearly anti-Communist and each segment has a distinct theme targeting different aspects of the political movement. On top of its messaging, the piece is just an engaging and fairly bracing display of unconventional filmmaking. The live-action picture is created primarily using stop-motion techniques, which not only lends it a deliberately uncanny vibe but also allows for a seamless introduction of some absurdist visuals (crafted with plasticine). It's really convincing in its own way. This aesthetic consistency enhances the disturbing effect of some of the gags, as does the disgustingly precise sound design (if you don't like the sound of people eating, this isn't going to be a nice time for you). Some sections are more funny than frightening, even if the short is constantly conceptually unsettling and has a dark tone overall. There's definitely something off about the whole thing and this makes it a really compelling watch; it's the sort of thing you just can't look away from. It's a really well-made film that feels like it has something to say and a distinct way of saying it.