Lunacy

Jan Svankmajer could be the weirdest filmmaker in the world, an artist whose troubled subconscious seems to dictate his every move. His latest, Lunacy, is loosely based on two Edgar Allan Poe short stories and “inspired” by the Marquis de Sade. It’s the story of a poor fellow who, upon returning from his mother’s funeral, is taken to an asylum where the inmates have the run of the place and the staff members are locked up. As per usual in a Svankmajer film, there’s bizarre sex, gratuitous nudity, violence (including what appears to be an inmate with his eyes gouged out), and stop-motion animation that involves meat—in this case, dancing tongues. Lunacy would certainly have a greater effect on one’s fragile psyche if seen in a theater—but even at home, you’ll find that Svankmajer’s unwillingness to stay on the sane side of life is the stuff of nightmares.