Little Otik

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Horrorphile - June 2009

Otesánek (Little Otik)

June 30th 2009 07:00

Another strange, grotesque and disturbing tale of domesticity gone horribly wrong from inspired Czech Republic filmmaker Jan Svankmajer, Little Otik (2000) is based on a Eastern European fairytale, albeit one of the darker, grimmer ones, and although mostly live action it does utilise Svankmajer’s penchant for stop-motion weirdness when it comes to depicting the monstrous eponymous child.

When a couple, Karel (Jan Hartl) and Bozena (Veronika Zilková), learn that they cannot bear any children it causes the wife great distress and in denial she pretends she is pregnant. The husband tries to ease his wife’s suffering by presenting her with a pretend infant which he’s fashioned from a large tree root. She takes to it like a suckling to mother’s milk, which only aggravates the problem.

Veronika Zilkova as Bozena

A supernatural turn of events sees the wooden baby come to life and swiftly starts to eat the couple out of house and home. No amount of milk and baby food is sufficient. Then the poor cat is consumed, and little Otik, or Otesánek, as Karel sarcastically calls it (referring to the dark tale), has grown substantially. Soon enough Bozena is making frequent trips to the local butcher and boiling up large hunks of meat to satisfy their insatiable little ‘un.

Jan Hartl as Karel with Otesánek aka Little Otik

Events take a turn for the worse when the postman and a social worker go missing, and the couple’s neighbour’s become suspicious, especially grumpy veggie caretaker (Dagmar Stríbrná), and precocious young Alzbetka (Kristina Adamcová), who after hearing Karel referring to his child as little Otik, and observing him make a fake phone call to the hospital, makes a connection after reading the ghastly tale of the couple whose conjured baby, Otesánek, eats everything in its path, from its parents, to horses and shepherds, and herds of pigs and sheep. The baby grows to enormous size, and then arrives at a cabbage patch and its fearless grower.

Little Otik is a hungry little boy!

Svankmajer’s movies are curious productions. On one hand they’re brilliantly accomplished on what seems like very modest budgets. On the other they often come across as only semi-professional, shot in standard 1:1.33 ratio, with clunky mise-en-scene (curiously he loves close-ups of mouths) and overdubbing. All his movies use post-synch sound, which does provide a heightened sense of the surreal, making the overall atmosphere feel like a dream, or nightmare to be precise.

Kristina Adamkova as Alzbetka

His casting is spot on, and Little Otik features great performances from the female leads; Zilková, Adamcová and Stríbrná. I’d like to say that the actor playing little Otik steals the show, but he’s simply an animated character, but with spindly roots for fingers and toes, a branch knot for a mouth, with a hideous slavering tongue, crooked teeth and single eye that occasionally pops into the mouth to have a gander. The whole visual concept of little Otik is creepy as hell.

Jitka Smutna as the insistent social worker

Svankmajer, who also penned the screenplay, adapted the tale from the work of a popular 19th Century Czech author called Karel Jaromír Erben. I’m curious if all his so-called fairytales were as twisted and horrible as Little Otik. Certainly Svankmajer was impressed, and it makes sense since his previous movies have been adaptations of the myth of Faust and Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

The monster baby from the original fairytale

Speaking of Carroll's Alice, I’ve been excited about Tim Burton’s latest project, although I’ve only just discovered he’s not sticking to the original story. He’s calling it Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which doesn’t sit well with me, since he screwed around with Planet of the Apes and it turned out miserably. But more on Burton’s version of Wonderland further down the track.

Here's the trailer (American, but don't let it bother you):

Little Otik DVD is courtesy of Siren Visual, many thanks!

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

14 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

June 30th 2009 07:22

Bryn

I caught this on SBS some time back.
It was certainly a trip. I missed seeing the end for some reason. I think I was going out or something.

Very stop motion styled and off the wall.

Comment by Natalina

June 30th 2009 07:31

My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog

I was creeped out yet mystified by Faust and Alice in Wonderland by Svankmajer, but I hadn't heard of this one.

Comment by Damo

June 30th 2009 07:33

Bryn

Have you ever followed any of the links after the You Tube trailer stopped.

This seriously freaked me out.

Talk about scaring children

Holy Crap.

Comment by Bryn

June 30th 2009 07:36

Horrorphile

Damo, fitting end.

Natalina, not quite as surreal as his other films, but just as creepy.

Comment by Bryn

June 30th 2009 07:39

Horrorphile

Damo re: video clip
Okay. Stop that. Right now.

Comment by Natalina

June 30th 2009 07:40

My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog

Ummm, Damo. That video made me cry. I'll surely be seeing it in my nightmares for days to come. Thanks a-lot!

Comment by Tracy

June 30th 2009 07:48

Movies and Life

I don't think I should watch that video clip...I'm too much of a wimp.

Love those pics.

Comment by Bryn

June 30th 2009 08:27

Horrorphile

Tracy, the clip's not so bad ... go on.

Comment by Tracy

June 30th 2009 11:45

Movies and Life

OK, but in the morning...if it doesn't go well, I might have nightmares..

Comment by Damo

June 30th 2009 13:45

Bryn

It was either that clip or another sheep joke.

Comment by Tracy

June 30th 2009 22:46

Movies and Life

I survived the video...someone was on acid when that was made...

Comment by Bryn

July 1st 2009 02:26

Horrorphile

Tracy, hahaha, yeah Jan Svankmajer's a serious tripper alright

Comment by Someone

July 1st 2009 17:21

Evil Pleasures
Random Musings on Life, Love and Everything
Let's Get Down To Business

That video? Just... wow.

I am gonna get stoned, watch that... and then probably kill myself. I don't know what to think.

Comment by Bryn

July 2nd 2009 00:28

Horrorphile

Someone, hahaha. Nice. I like it.

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