Review of The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes (2005) by Jeff B — 10 Mar 2013

Written and directed by The Brothers Quay, who made acclaimed short films such as Ein Brudermord (1981), The Epic of Gilgamesh, or This Unnameable Little Broom (1985) and Street of Crocodiles (1986)) and produced by Terry Gilliam, this was the Quay's first full length feature film since Institute Benjamenta (1995), and it's a mixed bag of odd sequences, a disjointed narrative and odd stop motion animation, but it's not for everyone.

In the 19th Century, opera singer Malvina van Stille (Amira Casar) is murdered on stage during a performance, and she's spirited away to the world of the evil inventor Dr. Emmanuel Droz (Gottfried John), and she's forced to play the lead in a production he's done, which is a recreation of her abduction, and Droz has the plans to turn Malvina into a mechanical nightingale.

Malvina meets the weird Felisberto Fernandez (César Sarachu), who is a piano tuner of earthquakes, who see's to the creation of Droz's world and the mechanical birds. Malvina becomes attracted to Felisberto, who bears a resemblence to her one-time fiancé Adolfo.

It's a very weird film, and it does drag at times. The Brothers Quay are talented, but their films are better in short bursts at a time, this is like Mirrormask for adults really, and less fun as well.

Shame as it had potential.