This short made me uncomfortable, and that's exactly what they were going for with this film. In that sense they have skillfully captured the nightmarish atmosphere they aimed to project. It's a little maze, bringing you from one corner of the box to the next and from one perspective of a character to another, changing what you think about the movie and the plot constantly. The beginning sets you in a mood of defying what you see, what you are made to see, I kept my eyes open to see what aspect they were trying to make me challenge, but it's not an ordinary film, the authorities are not clear figures as I had expected at first, instead it's a box with puppets owning bizarre desires. At first, I thought the puppet with the babyface would be the one to explore and rebel against the system, represented by the puppet in the suit, but then it shifted to the baby-faced and the other similar puppets being "the system", the authorities. They were deconstructing the liberated puppet-man, but I didn't know why; suddenly one of the puppets makes out with him, showing that all along there was sexual tension, supported by the scenes with unsettling sexual innuendos. The ending quote changed my view of the movie again, saying that in such a constructed life one wasn't permitted to develop dark desires, but does that mean that I'm supposed to accept those desires? Should I find it acceptable outside of this film? Gut reactions are there for a reason, they are backed by something, some good reason that isn't clear at first (when they aren't created by exposure to media). So should I update my moral sensor? I'm confused... Growing up is confusing because you're confronted with things like these that just mess you up.

"Street of Crocodiles" is an almost 30-year-old movie by brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay. And even is this is just a short film that runs for 20 minutes, it is among their most known works, probably top3. I cannot really see why though as the only thing that I found memorable about this short film is how creepy was occasionally. So yeah, it is animation, but certainly not the kind that you want your children to see with these scary little dolls everywhere. Even if the Quays, who are identical twins, were already almost 40 when they did this it was still fairly early in their careers. They certainly have been much more prolific afterward. I just hoped they stepped up their game a bit. This one is nothing special. Not recommended.

Much has already been said about this piece, but I am currently reading "Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass" by Bruno Schulz--a Polish Jew (author, artist, teacher) indiscriminately killed buying a loaf of bread by the Gestapo during the Second World War. After completing "The Street of Crocodiles" in 1934 and "Sanatorium [...}" in 1937 (currently rumored to be the Quay Brothers' next and third feature film after "Institute Benjamenta" and "The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes"), along with the lost manuscript of "The Messiah", the hallucinatory imagery of the books, where metaphor almost supersedes its subject, is captured exquisitely by the Brothers. My recommendation, having seen this film in two versions of the Brothers Quay collected short films, is to get the Region 2 BFI collection from Britain if possible. It features a more comprehensive body of their works in general along with excellent interviews and commentary (i.e. down to discussions regarding the logistics of working with thick layers of dust on the elaborate "Street of Crocodiles" set, while maintaining the illusion of seamless movement in single-frame animation). Parts of it are like a film course in themselves, regarding topics such as lighting, set building, and ball-joint armatures. Even in other Regions, it's worth getting a special player for the BFI Collection, if you are a serious fan or creator of stop-motion animation, art, experimental or surreal filmmaking.

I saw "Street of Crocodiles" on my first Filmfestival in 1991. Its darkness and sadness, its brutality and decay, this strange feeling of being somewhere else and someone else who does not understand the rules of this world. The world of the genius brothers Quay confirmed my urge of being a filmmaker. It's a kafkaesque journey into your subconsciousness. It is unique. 10 of 10.