• Release year: 2024
• Director: Stephen Quay and Timothy Quay.
• Producers: Lucie Conrad and Izabela Kiszka-Holfik.
• Screenplay by: Stephen Quay and Timothy Quay.
• Cinematography by: Bartosz Bieniek.
• Music by: Timothy Nelson.

Shotgun Commentary: confusing, hard to watch, quite beautiful.

Review

Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass is an adaptation of the homonymous novel by Bruno Schulz is which the narrator goes to a sanatorium to visit his father and finds himself trapped in a surreal version of the world, one where time doesn’t exist and rarities are the norm.

A strong foundation

Schulz’s intention was to make his readers question their reality by using surrealism and the grotesque. By offering a completely different point of view of life, he offers a great opportunity for introspection. Themes like memory, the inexorable pass of time and our concept of “normal” are explored in his novel and somewhat translated into screen format with this feature.

The narrative, much like the one in the book, is fragmented to give the sensation of memory. Each moment doesn’t necessarily happen right after the other, rather it is a jumble of moments that you can put together however it makes more sense to you. In this sense, the storytelling is quite original, few films have tried this structure and even fewer have succeeded. Much like it happens with the rest of them, it is mostly up to each spectator to determine in which category this feature falls.

Craftsmanship at its best

One sure success of the film is the medium, or rather mediums, it uses to showcase the narrative. In a gothic style that almost resembles an Edgar Allan Poe fever dream, it combines stop-motion animation and live action to amplify the bizarreness of it all. The stop-motion technique has been associated with horror and thriller content due to the clunky, unnerving movements that characterise it. This normal-but-not-really behaviour translates the feeling of dread and confusion beautifully for the audience. The live action additions not only provide smooth movements and more detailed acting for certain key moments, but also offer a reminder of the “weirdness” of a stop-motion reality, thus preventing the audience from normalising after a while of watching.

In addition to the great use of techniques per scene, the set and characters designs are simply wonderful. In fact, none of the film would work were it not for the presence of such an amazing atmosphere and particular characters. Like a black and white version of Twin Peak’s (1990-1991) waiting room, the settings are normal in appearance but get stranger the more you think about them. This creates a sensation of paranoia that works great with the reigning mood of confusion of the main storyline.

Arguable choices

The final pieces to create the unique visuals of this movie are the cinematography and the editing. Both disciplines that have been carefully utilised to add drama and provoke the spectator. Sadly, not all works quite like clockwork in this area. While the repetition of moments make sense and add flare, there is such thing as too much. Even if the original works use the resource plenty of times, a change in medium necessarily means that some adjustments will be needed. This is definitely one of them.

The repetitions of moments are so numerous they become extremely annoying. It might be a way to put the audience into a similar state of desperation as the protagonist, in which case it worked great. Either way, it is one of the most unpleasant features of the film right after the definition issue. Or lack thereof, really.

Almost nothing in the film has good definition. Every element and scenery is either segmented or blurred by noise, which creates a very hazy state. While the haze is good for narrative purposes, a person can’t watch a feature of that length and such noise without completely destroying their eyes. Either you look away from time to time, or you fall asleep. Do neither and your eyes will start hurting midway through the movie.

All in all, Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass is an interesting piece that become incredibly hard to watch due to a couple of questionable artistic decisions. The atmosphere is great and the characters compelling. The weirdness is a lot of fun, and the story comes from a good source. Other than a few storytelling flaws, it is a pretty decent watch.

Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass will be screened at London Film Festival the 10th and 12th of October.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Don’t go into places where time is not a thing.
• Definition is key for a film, especially one that is hard to follow by nature.
• There is such thing as too much of a good thing.

What’s your take? Have you watched Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀