''Insects'' ( cs, Hmyz) is a

surreal Surreal may refer to: *Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art * "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki * ''Surreal'' (album), an album by Man Raze *Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Jan Švankmajer Jan Švankmajer (; born 4 September 1934) is a Czech filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeled surrealist known for his stop-motion animations and features, which have greatly influenced other artists such as Ter ...

, the film is based on the play ''

Pictures from the Insects' Life ''Pictures from the Insects' Life'' ( cs, Ze života hmyzu) – also known as ''The Insect Play'', ''The Life of the Insects'', ''The Insect Comedy'', ''The World We Live In'' and ''From Insect Life'' – is a satirical play that was written in Cz ...

'' by Karel and

Josef Čapek Josef Čapek (; 23 March 1887 – April 1945) was a Czech artist who was best known as a painter, but who was also noted as a writer and a poet. He invented the word "robot", which was introduced into literature by his brother, Karel Čapek. ...

. Švankmajer stated that the film would be his last. It premiered on 26 January 2018 at International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film follows amateur actors rehearsing ''

.'' The actors find themselves living out their characters' roles and hallucinating insects. ''Insects'' is intercut with the creative process of the film itself and interviews with the actors about their dreams.

Cast

Jaromír Dulava Jaromír Dulava (born 18 December 1960) is a Czech actor. Selected filmography Film * '' Housata'' (1980) * ''The Inheritance or Fuckoffguysgoodday'' (1992) * '' Černí baroni'' (1992) * ''Dark Blue World'' (2001) * ''Román pro ženy'' (2001 ...

, as the Director ("Mr. Cricket"), the meticulous and irritable husband of Ružena; he is passionate about acting and tries his best to make the failing actors best fit his vision. * Kamila Magálova, as Rose/Ružena ("Mrs. Cricket"), the adulterous wife of the Director; she plays Mrs. Cricket, who is an expecting mother; she is not passionate about acting and regularly forgets stage directions. * Jan Budar, as William/Václav ("Sabre Wasp"), Ružena's lover, who is open about his affair; he is assigned to play the Sabre Wasp, whose role is to murder the Crickets; he resents the Director. * Jirí Lábus, as Charlie Forrest/Borovička ("Dung Beetle"), a bumbling aspiring actor who has trouble reading; he becomes obsessed with his character once coming into contact with an actual dung beetle. * Ivana Uhlírová, as Jilly/Jituška ("Larva"), a squeamish and neurotic ballerina who is afraid of insects; she plays the Larva of the Sabre Wasp and experiences many hallucinations of cockroaches and ants. * Norbert Lichy, as Nettle/Kopriva ("Parasite"), a sleepy police officer and a friend of the Director; he plays the idealistic Parasite, who considers insects hoarding food an injustice; he finds himself wanting to eat Jituška.

Production

The film had a projected budget of 40 million CZK and a preliminary release set for 2017. The world premiere was then confirmed for the 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film is based on the play ''

'' by Karel and Josef Čapek, which Švankmajer described as following: "''From the Life of Insects'' is a misanthropic play. My screenplay only extends this misanthropy, as man is more like an insect and this civilisation is more like an anthill. One should also remember the message in Kafka’s

The Metamorphosis ''Metamorphosis'' (german: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himsel ...

." In May 2016, Athanor Production Co. launched an Indiegogo campaign to crowdfund $150,000 for the film. The campaign ended on February 20, 2018, and managed to raise $305,927, surpassing its initial goal by 81%.

References

External links

* {{Jan Svankmajer Films directed by Jan Švankmajer 2018 films Czech comedy films 2018 comedy films Surrealist films Czech Film Critics' Awards winners Czech Lion Awards winners (films) Czech films based on plays Adaptations of works by Karel Čapek Czech animated comedy films Czech adult animated films Indiegogo-funded films