Svankmajer has created a bizarre cinematic treat that pokes fun at obsessive consumer culture.
Little Otik
From the creator of "Alice" and "Faust" comes a most unusual baby…
2001 · 2h 11m · TV-14
Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Directed by
Jan Švankmajer
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Little Otik
Overview
When a childless couple learn that they cannot have children, it causes great distress. To ease his wife's pain, the man finds a piece of root in the backyard and chops it and varnishes it into the shape of a child. However the woman takes the root as her baby and starts to pretend that it is real.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
It's no surprise that Jan Svankmajer's Little Otik is dark, strange stuff.
The cumulative impact of Little Otik is engrossing and provocative, and Svankmajer draws splendid ensemble performances across the board.
Svankmajer sends us home haunted.
Its dark whimsy doesn't hold up for the duration of Svankmajer's film version, which, at more than two hours, seriously wears out its welcome.
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