One Night in One City

Anyone who has stumbled around the back-alleys of Zizkov after dark will find plenty to recognise here - although you may not have come across a parsnip fairy or a man snorting ants. An apartment block in the Prague district is a focal point...

Dir. Jan Balej

Czech Republic 2006, 78 mins

Feat. Jan Novotny; Vaclav Poul; Jiri Labus

Anyone who has stumbled around the back-alleys of Zizkov after dark will find plenty to recognise here - although you may not have come across a parsnip fairy or a man snorting ants. An apartment block in the Prague district is a focal point for this hallucinatory puppet film which loosely weaves together the phobias and fetishes of various low-lifes and weirdos; most memorably the accordionist who discovers an ear in the gutter and becomes a brilliant painter when he sews it onto his head. The circus for dead insects in the opening scene recalls the work of Jan Svankmajer, although on the whole the tone is more light-hearted and almost Aardman-like; Aardman soaked in medicinal liqueur. One Night and One City won’t do much to dispel English preconceptions about Prague and drinking, but it’s an enjoyable ride.

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