This Unnameable Little Broom (1985)

Charming and brutal

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The opening credits cite this short as a strongly disguised adaptation of the ancient literary classic "The Epic of Gilgamesh", and the key word here is disguised. This film mainly peaked my interest not only because it was directed by the Brothers Quay, (and, having been a massive fan of Jan Svankmajer for a few years) whose work has interested me for quite some time now, but also because of my love for that ancient masterpiece. Readers of all ages: READ THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! It's thin as Hell, and is an action packed adventure epic layered with tragedy and philosophy. It's the earliest known work of literature, and yet its characters are well developed and fascinating.However, this is barely an adaptation of the classic. Instead, some of the events and characters merely (and mildly) symbolize those shown in the original boo. Instead of Gilgamesh, viewers will be exposed mostly to the eccentric creativity of the Brothers Quay, who fill the cinematic canvas with their unique and often unnerving animations. Sometimes mildly amusing, and other times quite unsettling, this brief short encapsulates the overall mood the Brothers Quay have mastered over the year quite well. The soundtrack is great, fitting the bizarre and enigmatic atmosphere extremely well, and the stop motion animation, as it is always with the work of masters like the Brothers Quay, is creepy, beautiful, and simply top notch!

"This Unnameable Little Broom" or "The Epic of Gilgamesh" is a 10-minute short film by the Brothers Quay, a pair of animated filmmakers that defined the genre in terms of short films in the 1980s and 1990s, especially in terms of darker animation and you can somehow see them as the American equivalent to Jan Svankmajer in terms of style. Sadly, I cannot say I am a great fan of their work and this one here does not change it a bit sadly. Very underwhelming watch about the story of a little broom. The music was probably still the nicest thing to it as it did a lot in terms of suspense and atmosphere. However, this cannot make up for the very forgettable story. I do not recommend checking it out. Thumbs down.

This movie left me baffled; and although I don't care for everything to make sense, I just couldn't find an angle from which to start understanding what's going on.There are two puppets, a monstrous hybrid of man and bicycle, and a winger creature. This one flies down, is wrapped in cloth and the bicycle-man clips its wings. Where can anyone go from here? I like symbolism, allegory, allusion, intertextuality. But this movie just gazes into itself and offers nothing.This movie has a stream of surreal, gripping imagery from start to finish, and I can't deny it's a technically impressive movie. The Quay brothers have a gift for the bizarre and the terrifying. They're darker and more hopeless than their master, Jan Svankmaker. I just wish their shorts had the same playfulness and logic of his movies.

This is a fascinating little short that tells the tale of two incredibly fleshed out animated characters. One is a winged creature that falls into the trap of the other, a blond monster-person on a tricycle. It's not that simple, however. The imagery, though I don't profess to understand every last bit of it, was striking and surreal. This film targets the unconscious. It seeks to evoke a response through impressions and instinct. The animation is uncanny and beautiful, as these two characters are given grace, ferocity and emotion. The camera itself becomes an implement of the animation as it cuts frantically from side to side, with as much freedom as if a live-action scene were being filmed. This illusion is enhanced further by the deft focusing. This film must have taken such a tremendous amount of vision and effort, and the result is a commendable and evocative short film.