"Passionate Discourse" is the second part of a three part series by Surrealist director Jan Švankmajer. This series, Dimensions of Dialogue (1982), addresses multiple modes of communication and language.
This short film affected me. Sitting in a darkened classroom as it played out on a projector screen, I found myself tossed from loving peacefulness to broken, betrayed tragedy; I nearly cried aloud at its close. I have since read a few reviews and analyses of the film. Some of the more pedantic ones have attempted to stretch this into a commentary on the political situation in Czechoslovakia, Švankmajer's home. Most revolve around the "child" lump of clay and the way its unwanted presence destroys love. I, however, shy from any such analysis. I reacted viscerally to this film. It is not what it is about, but how it makes me feel. It makes me feel like weeping. How, if I may be so bold to ask, does it make you feel?
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