Just perfect...

Dreadfully Boring

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

At first, it feels like a slightly black, but still innocent enough, surrealist comedy, but it soon declines into total, terrifying darkness that ends on a fittingly somber note. "Ruka" is one of the most influential and intelligent stop motion films ever made as it contains a powerful message that is expressed in an engaging and bizarre manner. It contains a different sort of "horror"...a type of horror rooted in both fantasy and reality, a type of horror that is layered by symbolism, meaning, and freaky animation. The visuals are vibrant in a semi-subtle way, the entire mood clearly influenced the great Jan Svankmajer, and thank God it did because this is the sort of atmospheric I crave when I view a film like this! "Ruka" may be odd and it may not be the type of film you show your friends for a good laugh, but it is still a vital piece of animation history and quite possibly one of the greatest and scariest movies ever made.

a little potter. and his plant. a huge hand. and a statue. one of the most impressive animation. for the simplicity of great art. and for its status of warning. against totalitarian regime. about the resistance against it. about forms of freedom. and its price. so, more than a film. a document. and a testimony. about art as form of free speech in dark ages. this detail does "Ruka " special. a film about fragility. and about its delicate force. as inspired support. for reflection.

"Ruka" or "The Hand" is an 18-minute short film from Czechoslovakia and this one came out in 1965, which means it had its 50th anniversary last year. It was the last directorial effort by Czechoslovakian filmmaker Jirí Trnka and today we know that it was probably also his biggest success because of the BAFTA nomination it scored. It lost to Norman McLaren's entry by the way. Anyway, if you have seen some other works by Trnka, you will realize that his style is obvious and you can easily identify him as the man behind it. Recognition value is always something positive, but sadly, in my opinion, it's almost the only positive aspect here. It's about a potter who life gets changed considerably for the worse when a big white hand (glove?) appears in his home and starts to harass and bully the poor little guy. So yeah, you see it is an absurd film. That's nothing negative necessarily though if the movie manages to deliver in other areas than realism then. but this one really does not. The animation is okay, but the story is way too long and dragging, even for a film that stays under 20 minutes. There may be references about the filmmaker's country in terms of life, society and maybe also politics, but you won#t get these unless you really know about the history. The good thing here is that there is no dialogue, so you won't need subtitles if you don't speak the Czech language. ItÄs all about sound effects from the audible perspective. But is it really a good thing? I'm not sure and I don't recommend the watch.

Jiøí Trnka made his last animated short an indictment of totalitarism, which caused him trouble in his native Czechoslovakia. The elements are few, the symbolisms simple, and his trademark ornaments almost absent here, allowing the viewer to concentrate on the fable. A man in his room dedicates to pottery and to take care of his only plant. But suddenly a huge hand enters the room and orders him to make a statue of itself. The man refuses and he's persecuted by the ominous gloved hand. In these days, where the impression of reality factor seems to be erased from most animations that try to replace the real world, it is refreshing to watch a film, which makes its technique part of the enjoyment.