Tales of the Brothers Quay

Tales of the Brothers Quay ***1/2

Directed by Stephen and Timothy Quay

Contains the films:

The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer (1984)

The Epic of Gilgamesh (1985)

Street of Crocodiles (1986)

Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies (1986)

Dramolet (Stille Nacht I) (1988)

The Comb (From the Museums of Sleep) (1991)
Anamorphosis (or De Artificiali Perspectiva) (1991)

Are We Still Married? (Stille Nacht II) (1991)

Tales from the Vienna Woods (Stille Nacht III) (1992)

Can’t Go Wrong Without You (Stille Nacht IV) (1993)

In Absentia (2000)

134 Minutes including 10 Minute Intermission(This Is Not Rated-Disturbing Images)

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In the second half of 2006, I was able to see two things that fascinated me more than anything else. The first was "Viva Pedro," a collection of eight films by Pedro Almodovar. Since I enjoyed the few films by Almodovar that I had seen, I was grateful to be given the chance to see a bulk of his filmography in a short period time-films that are rare to see on the big screen nowadays. At the end of November, I was able to see one of the most visually masterful films I have ever seen-"The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes." This is my first trip into the world of The Brothers Quay, and I learned that the bulk of their filmography-a collection of music videos and short films-is unavailable at the moment. And now I am able to combine the quickness of seeing a collection of films, and the chance to explore a new filmmaker(s) with the retrospective "The Tales of the Brothers Quay,"-opening this weekend at the Film Forum for one week. Zeitgest films have decided to release brand new prints of many of these shorts films-films that should be seen on the big screen or not at all.

Stephen and Timothy Quay are identical twin brothers from Pennsylvania. They reside in England at the present time. Over the last twenty five years they have been masters of miniature figures-creating vast animated sets, and doing all of their work through film and not through computer. Seeing these short films, you have to keep one big thing in mind-you won't have a clue what the story is, but this is the idea. It doesn't matter what the story is-not the story that the Quay's had in mind. Half of the fun is coming up with your own interpretation, making your own ideas based on what is happening on the screen. And these are some of the most unique and fun creations that you will ever see. Little baby faces with stuffing in their heads instead of brains, a man with a large bump on his head that he rubs to make his eyes spin, severed heads-all of them made out of clay, wire, mortar, metal, and glued together. They do not seem like puppets, but they seem like things you'll find in the trash. Nothing makes sense, nothing is in proportion, and yet everything is perfect-you wouldn't want it any other way. Every single shot is so carefully tended to that you could almost feel the passion coming out of the screen.

This is dark stuff, but also very creative. The brothers are influenced by Eastern European literature and classical music and classic art. One of the films(and my least favorite of the collection) is called Anamorphosis, and is basically an art lecture put to stunning animation which studies a technique in art where symbols are found depending on which angle you look at something. There are paintings where you can't exactly see what is being shown, but if you look at it from a certain angle degree to the left it is clear. They also adapt The Epic of Gilgimesh into a ten minute masterpiece. The best of the works come at the very end, the more recent In Absentia, which ends with you staring at the blank screen wanting more. This is about a young woman who is writing letters over and over again with tiny broken pencil shavings while in a metal ward. I get the same feeling while watching these as I did while watching "Inland Empire." You can't exactly put your finger on what is happening, but you can't take your eyes off the screen, afraid to blink that you might miss something. And when it is all over, you emerge from the theatre as if you had been dreaming-sleepy and exhausted. I cancelled the plans to see another film after this one because I wanted these to be fresh in your mind. I would like to see them again. "Tales of the Brothers Quay" shows how nightmares are created, putting us into the world that we can only see when we are sleeping, and it is never that screwed up. This is a great collection of shorts that should be seen on the big screen, because justice probably can't serve it on the small. There is too much to see, too much to bask in, too much to watch. And although each one is equally confusing, they are all special and unique-each one presenting something in a different way, however small. I am thankful to be able to see these films, and thankful for discovering the Brothers Quay. In the middle of January, where film fans don't have much to see unless they haven't finished with the Oscar haul from the year before, "Tales of the Brothers Quay" is the perfect remedy. Who would have figured that the only thing worth seeing at the moment in a few years old?

This program is just over two hours, and has a brief intermission after the first six films. I've listed the films that are playing at the Film Forum for this week, but there is a maximum of thirteen films depending on the venue. The other two films playing in the program are Nocturna Artificialia from 1979, and The Phantom Museum from 2003. Unless back by popular demand this is the only week the program will be playing, so I suggest you make the effort to see them. They are well worth it, and will haunt for well after you leave the theatre.