Customer Reviews

Blood Tea and Red String

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm really not sure how to describe this movie, so I'll start with the bare facts. Cegavske appears to have started from some art-school sketchbooks, and assembled a gorgeous stop-animation, supposedly taking 13 years to complete. She did all the design, scripting and animation, so this was clearly a labor of love. She created remarkable characters and sets, beautifully crafted. The composer she engaged for the score did an outstanding job, especially in the unearthly tones of the mouses' dance.

All of which says nothing about the characters and plot of the movie, which I still can't quite put words to. It carried the sense of a fully-elaborated dream world, but of someone else's dreams. The different beings seemed to act out rituals of deep importance, all of which eluded me. Rich, detailed imagery abounds, almost like the imagery of a Tarot deck - but with all of the arcane meanings unspoken. The viewer rides along in this wordless world, sensing the characters' urgency but never making out the reason for it.

Cegavske's puppets and props bring that baffling world to life. Even though this medium has been used for years in children's entertainment, make no mistake: this is for grownups. Skittish children might not tolerate the deaths of characters, or scenes like the "blood tea." A few moments drag; the script's pacing seemed uneven, and the puppet's motions never flowed smoothly. I can't let the little things get in my way, though. This stands as an incredible work of creativity, and a glimpse into another mind's imaginings.

-- wiredweird

This would be an astonishing film under any circumstances, given its detail & dreamlike, sometimes nightmarish quality. Knowing that it was made by one person over 13 years only increases my admiration. Truly a labor of love! Rich colors, fascinating characters that capture both the innocence & exaggerated fears of a child's world, memorable images that seem almost archetypal -- just stunning. It has the look & flavor of a very old tale, repeated over countless generations. If you're looking for something different, something very far from the mass market animation that seems to exist solely to sell cheap merchandise, then you won't go wrong here. Most highly recommended!

At first the idea of "dialogue free" scared me off, as did stop action animation, since Davy and Goliath and Gumby always freaked me out, but I read a review in Daily Variety that compared it to David Lynch and Beatrix Potter, so I had to check it out. WOW! Deep saturated colors, amazing music and most importantly deeply gorgeous storyline with phenomenal characters that really come alive. The layers of symbolism and the tragic tale of love and loss make this a MUST HAVE for film fans into Dali, Browning, Lynch, etc. Awesome!

This film is not for everyone, but if you like things that are truly unusual and artistic, without a lot of dialogue, check this one out. This is not a kid's movie, even though it's a fairy tale of sorts. The artist who made the film took years to hand-craft each "puppet" (for lack of a better word -- this is not Sesame Street...). If you like dark, artistic animation such as The Nightmare Before Christmas or Spirited Away, and/or darkly dreamy fairy tales such as The Company of Wolves or Ginger Snaps, and/or films about dreams such as The Science of Sleep, you might check out this film.

This movie is absolutely amazing. This isn't the type of movie you sit around and watch on the couch with your friends and a bowl of popcorn - it's a strange and surreal fairy tale. Every time I watch it, I am absolutely amazed that one person put this entire film together by herself, and that she was dedicated enough to stick with the project over the 13 years that it was in production. If you're looking for action or comedy, this movie isn't for you - if you are looking for a film that is unlike anything else out there, then I definitely recommend it. It's beautiful - I am so glad I bought it. If you like independent films, this is about as independent as it gets!

This is an excellent yet very "odd" film. It's definitely not a "normal" film like you would find in the theaters. I really loved the film, but some people may find it a bit too odd for their tastes. If you like artsy, dark, and symbolic sort of stuff, you'll like this film. If you go to movies thinking the Rock is the best actor evar, then don't watch this.

The animation is quite good, and the usage of colors and images is excellent. It's quite amazing how much you can feel for the characters in this film. The DVD comes with some extras where you get to see the artist's paintings as she discusses them with another person. I recommend this to anyone who likes the "out of the norm" artistic films.

This is an effective film in stop motion. The silent film has weird music and strange color. Hard to explain it, just have to see it. I felt like I was on mushrooms or something. Neat little film.

I tremendously enjoyed this movie. This is animation at its best, with patient craftmanship used in the service of a genuine artistic vision. I won't summarize the plot, which is a bit secondary. It's much more about the experience, as would be the case for something out of the Quay's brothers or Svankmajer's drawers.

I didn't really know what to expect going in to this film. I had come across it many moons ago while looking for another DVD title, then spent the next year with it on my Wishlist. I'm glad I finally broke down one day and bought it for myself. It's an interesting film, not quite as I expected, but it is beautiful, and a strange, alluring triumph. One woman, over the course of a decade, doing all the set design and filming and lighting herself, shot a feature length stop motion animation of this magnitude. It shows that this film was a learning process for her, as the shots start out too fast, and in some places too flickery from lighting changes, but it isn't too long in to the film she finds her rhythm. And sometimes the intended story points aren't always as obvious to the viewer as they were to the film maker in her fevered creative state, but you can learn to forgive her these faults, seeing as she's providing us with such an amazing journey.

This film is a real achievement that needs to be seen to be believed.

I have watched this twice in as many days and saw more the second time. That's a good thing to be able to gain insight into a movie the more you watch.
There is no dialogue. And thankfully so. The music, the settings, the landscape, the creatures and the cinematography all create a world that stimulate your senses and imagination.
When you read a book, you are creating the world in your mind... when i watched this, i was creating the dialogue in my mind. Being able to do so speaks volumes to how expressive the creatures are through the details in their subtle movement. The music was also simple and mystical - simple enough to allow your mind to make your own emotions to fit the scene.
Best description I can think of : An impressionist experience that took me on a relaxing vacation away from the world.