Darkness, Light, Darkness (1989)

I knew the day I started this blog I wanted to talk about Czech surrealist filmmaker Jan Svankmajer. His stop-motion (claymation) and live action films made me a fan of surrealism and stop motion for life.

I first saw his 1987 film "Alice", an otherworldly adaptation based on Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", back in college. I never looked back since! Some of his works often look grotesque and have a humorous tone. His tales contain a whimsical charm to them that makes fans of surrealism wanting more. Svankmajer's known for creating imaginative short films, including

Darkness Light Darkness. The 7 minute short is one of Svankmajer's most creative, captivating, thought-provoking works.

Darkness Light Darkness does exactly what the title suggests. The film begins and ends in darkness but what happens between is nothing short of bizarre. The entire film takes place in a tiny room with two doors on each side. Beginning with an arm and set of eyes, other body parts come in left and right in an animalistic fashion. After a few moments of figuring out what body part does what, they construct a functioning human body. 

Yet, the short is more than assembling body parts. Svankmajer explores themes of discovering parts of ourselves and experimentation. which is human nature. Throughout the short, the man acts like a child when he is rebuilding himself.  A lot of his body part act curious. In some cases, primal.  An arm welcomes a pair of eyes and uses them to see what surrounds it as it crawls like some deformed creature. What looks like a butterfly hitting a window is actually two attached ears. Much to the delight of the hands, they have fun pulling them apart and placing them one another to see how they work. These glimmers of imagination and creation reach a point that may shock viewers.  

The title reminds me of birth and death. After all, the movie begins and ends with a flicker of a light switch. Both are inevitable circumstances. Yet, Svankmajer's short focuses life's tiny nuances up until the last shot of the film. A 360 camera shot of the man breathing heavily as he finds himself stuck in this tiny room. It's fascinating as it is anxiety-inducing, just like any moment in life where you feel you can't breathe.  Sure, I could be reading more into this but

Darkness Light Darkness is one of the reasons why I love surrealism. You can interpret it in a variety of ways. This funny short definitely leaves room for it.

Much of the claymation has sparks humor, shock, and, on some level, disgust for the audience. None the less, the smoothness, texture, and firmness of the clay is mesmerizing to watch. The sound design is impeccable. There's no dialogue. We only hear body parts make animal and insect noises, including the squishy and squirming of organs as they try to find their place. The head discovering his teeth and tongue is goofy. But, if you are new to Svankmajer this may either make you want to keep viewing or turn you off.

Hopefully, the former.

Svankmajer's short is one of his best works that defines who he is as an artist and a master of his craft. Darkness, Light Darkness is essential for viewing if you are new to the world of Jan Svankmajer.