The Brothers Quay’s first narrative feature builds upon many of the themes found in their animated shorts. Within Institute Benjamenta, or this dream people call human life (1995), the Quays explore expressive spaces, play with sonic and visual textures, and search for the poetic within banal movement.
In this video, I look at some of these themes, ruminating on how they form the subjectivity of the characters and unsettle the film’s reality.
Institute Benjamenta previously screened at the IU Cinema in November 2017 as part of the Essential B&W Indies from the ’90s series.
Laura Ivins loves stop motion, home movies, imperfect films, nature hikes, and Stephen Crane’s poetry. She has a PhD from Indiana University and an MFA from Boston University. In addition to watching and writing about movies, sometimes she also makes them.