Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass
The Brothers Quay spin another fantastical stop motion yarn with this surreal story inspired by the work of Polish writer Bruno Schulz, about a young man on a ghostly train ride toward a sanitorium that may exist out of time and space.
Tickets
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Sunday, May 18, 2025
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
Friday, May 23, 2025
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
For their first feature in 20 years, Stephen and Timothy Quay have once again returned to the work of Polish writer Bruno Schulz for a sad and creepy tale about grief and memory that mixes stop motion puppetry with live action. The oblique plot centers around a man who arrives at a sanatorium after father has died, but is told by the doctor that time is delayed there and his father is not yet dead, but will be soon. Meanwhile, a woman uncovers a “Maquette for the Sepulchre of a Dead Retina,” a machine with seven lenses that contain the final seven images that the last owner had seen. Each lens becomes a chapter in this story, and may or may not be images from the dying father. Many strange asides pop up along the way, making it impossible to know where the film is going to go next. What keeps driving this 76-minute film forward is the confidence the Brothers Quay have obtained from decades of filmmaking prowess; experience which has given them well-earned cult status.
- Director: Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
- Principal Cast: Tadeusz Janiszewski, Wioletta Kopańska, Andrzej Kłak, Allison Bell, Zenaida Yanowsky
- Premiere Status: US
- Country: United Kingdom, Poland, Germany
- Year: 2024
- Running Time: 76 min.
- Producer: Lucie Conrad, Izabella Kiszka-Hoflik
- Screenplay: Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
- Cinematographers: Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay, Bartosz Bieniek
- Editors: Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
- Music: Joakim Sundström, Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
- Website: Official Film Website
- Filmography: The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes (2004), Institute Benjamenta (1994)
- Language: Polish
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- Format: DCP
- US Distributor: KimStim
- International Sales: The Match Factory