Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life

1995 1h 45m EN

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 50

DramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Jakob arrives at the Institute Benjamenta (run by brother and sister Johannes and Lisa Benjamenta) to learn to become a servant. With seven other men, he studies under Lisa: absurd lessons of movement, drawing circles, and servility. He asks for a better room. No other students arrive and none leave for employment. Johannes is unhappy, imperious, and detached from the school's operation. Lisa is beautiful, at first tightly controlled, then on the verge of breakdown. There's a whiff of incest. Jakob is drawn to Lisa, and perhaps she to him. As winter sets in, she becomes catatonic. Things get worse; Johannes notes that all this has happened since Jakob came. Is there any cause and effect?

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Alice Krige
Lisa Benjamenta
Mark Rylance
Jakob
Gottfried John
Herr Benjamenta
Daniel Smith
Kraus
Joseph Alessi
Pepino
Jonathan Stone
Hebling
César Saratxu
Inigo
Peter Lovstrom
Jorgenson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stephen Quay
Writers: Timothy Quay, Stephen Quay, Alan Passes
Languages: Afrikaans, English, German, Spanish
Countries: Germany, Japan, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

31 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Afrikaans, English, German, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Germany, Japan, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stephen Quay, shot by Nicholas D. Knowland. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lech Jankowski. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Larry Sider shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Alice Krige and Mark Rylance and Gottfried John carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0113429 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stephen Quay directs. Nicholas D. Knowland behind the camera. Lech Jankowski scores. Larry Sider cuts. Produced in Germany, Japan, United Kingdom. Dialogue in Afrikaans, English, German, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

131 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Afrikaans, English, German, Spanish.
3International production across 3 countries: Germany, Japan, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Stephen Quay, shot by Nicholas D. Knowland. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Lech Jankowski. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Larry Sider shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Alice Krige and Mark Rylance and Gottfried John carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0113429 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 50 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.