Little Otik (Otesanek)

Little Otik (Otesanek) is a movie directed by Ian (Jan) Svankmajer and released back in 2000. The movie is a bizarre retelling of an old Czech folk tale utilizing a mixture of live-action footage, puppet-like animation, and rigid claymation. The plot involves a married couple who are cursed with infertility. The husband, knowing that his wife is distraught, jokingly carves a fake baby from a tree stump to serve as a sort of child substitute. Much to their surprise, the "child" comes to life and ends up being much more of a handful than the couple could ever have imagined.
The film uses its strange mixture of film styles to tell the story in two distinctly different ways, creating a sort of double-plot that, like all great double-plots, exhibits a noticeable link between the two seemingly contradictory storylines. The movie has been described as being "rife with symbolism" and a "deliciously bizarre nightmare."

I figured I should probably say this, too:
Little Otik (Otesanek) is not rated by the MPAA, so there isn't an official way to discern whether its content is suitable for everyone. Take my advice: the movie is not suitable for everyone. The film contains a few scenes of extremely graphic violence and a reasonably explicit beginning. The beginning deals with the couple's infertility, and therefore involves some graphic dialogue and even a bit of nonflexual nudity. I recommend changing the channel for these bits.

Unfortunately, since this movie was clearly not a blockbuster by any stretch of the imagination, the only place I have been able to find it is on the Sundance Channel, a station showing only the best independent films. This channel is probably only found on very expensive cable/satellite packages, so it will be rather difficult to view the film. Nevertheless, the movie gets a high moomsyMarv recommendation and is worth seeing. I promise.

List of showtimes for Little Otik (Otesanek):


Sunday, Jan, 07
07:00 PM
SUNDe

Friday, Jan, 12
07:15 AM
SUNDe

Tuesday, Jan, 16
06:00 AM
SUNDe

Tuesday, Jan, 16
03:45 PM
SUNDe