The first full-length film by puppet animators The Brothers Quay is also their first to use live actors. But even with a human cast, this is unmistakeably a Quay production. It’s utterly dream-like and gently surreal, with disorienting sets that resemble a Joseph Cornell assemblage. The animators’ meticulous direction and focus on ephemeral details create a dance for actors and objects. The plot follows Jacob, a humble man who enrolls in a school for domestic servants, where every activity is like The Karate Kid’s “wax on, wax off” training mantra. The unassuming man finds comfort in his submissive role, but Jacob begins to attract the interests of both the cruel headmaster and his repressed sister, Lisa Benjamenta. In typical Quay style, the background objects reflect the tension that the characters are unable to find release for. Forks vibrate and sing, door handles rattle, the light goes from blindingly over-exposed to inky black. When Lisa finally gives in to her longing, the Institiute begins to crumble. The oblique story is told more through dynamics than by traditional narrative, so art-film-phobes beware. If it’s your thing, the moody atmospherics make for a beautiful, emotional experience.

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