In the Attic or Who Has a Birthday Today?

Jiří Barta has in the past dealt almost exclusively with works for adults and in the case of his latest project, he turned to the genre of fairy tale out of necessity, as it is not possible to obtain finances for purely artistic animated creations for adult audiences. Nevertheless, he incorporated his original ideas about animated film into his work, resulting in something that closely resembles Švankmajer's film Alice. It is a poetic spectacle that is far from the ordinary family films currently churned out by global companies like Pixar or Walt Disney. The plot is not essential and can be summarized in a few lines. The important thing is the atmosphere of the film and especially its visual design. The space is filled with a vast amount of objects that can be found in long-abandoned attics, and thanks to the director and animators, these objects come to life and create a bizarre world that is ultimately more appealing to adult viewers than to young children. Labeling the film as a fairy tale is misleading. In the movie theater, I noticed that parents were truly savoring the film, rather than their children, even though the main protagonist is a child's doll. During the first viewing, I couldn't even fully appreciate all the visual details and filmmaking ideas. It is the type of film that is most enjoyed by connoisseurs of animated art, a film that belongs at the forefront of contemporary creation and has the chance to make a mark at a festival. It's just a shame that enough funding couldn't be found to complete the remaining 20 minutes of the film according to Barta's original plan. Additionally, Barta incorporated a storyline of political satire into his film, with his ruler of the Evil Empire being a forgotten bust of a totalitarian statesman who uses practices typical of authoritarian states to control his subjects. The ruler's radio speeches and the vocabulary he uses are delightful. Overall impression: 95%. (06.03.2009)

Full stars, there’s nothing to worry about here! This fantastic film would take a ninety year old back to his childhood. Seriously! Perfectly chosen voices for all the characters, an excellent Jiří Lábus, perfect music by Pavlíček (I WANT a soundtrack) and most importantly - an animated world full of details that is truly alive! (15.05.2010)