Synopsis
A man takes up residence with a mysterious marquis and is soon persuaded to enter into an asylum for preventative therapy. Things are not what they seem, and the marquis may be even more sinister than what the young man may've predicted.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Pavel LiškaJean Berlot
- Jan TřískaMarquis
- Anna GeislerováCharlota
- Jaroslav DušekDr. Murlloppe
- Martin HubaDr. Coulmiere
- Karel HeřmanFeeble-minded Warden
- Pavel NovýServant Dominik
- Stano DančiakInnkeeper
- Jiří KrytinářReciting Madman
- Kateřina RůžičkováAsylum Inmate
Recommendations
- 90
Salon
One of the best films of the year. - 88
New York Post
Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and the Marquis de Sade (interesting combination, no?). - 88
TV Guide Magazine
Svankmajer has crafted his finest live-action feature to date. - 83
The A.V. Club
Svankmajer's nihilistic story isn't for everyone, but he skillfully manages its disturbing execution in ways no one else could, and he brings it across in a darkly comedic way that encourages simultaneous laughter, horror, and thought. If that isn't art, what is? - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
It's a fully formed film which transcends polemic by an intelligent use of the imagination. - 60
Los Angeles Times
For all its visual surprises and visceral shocks, Lunacy is still the kind of film that is easier to admire than it is to actually like. - 50
Variety
More moving animal parts and less human pontificating would make a stronger case for a tale already rich in imagery. Another drawback is Liska, too one-dimensional to stand against Triska's overpowering performance. - 50
The New York Times
Mr. Svankmajer’s provocations skew toward the intellectual and the shivery rather than the pop and the visceral, and at his best, he doesn’t just get under your skin, but also deep in your head, too. Here, unfortunately, he does neither, despite some marvelous stop-motion animated sequences involving a literal moveable feast of severed animal tongues, loose eyeballs and errant brains.
