"Taxandria" is a work made by Ostend-born director Raoul Servais, who used an highly unusual animation technique. I can't say it's a total success : it took a very long time to make and various switches in artistic approach and viewpoint resulted in a certain loss of impact. However, it contains images of great beauty and fascination, just as it contains moments of uncanny surprise or nightmarish absurdity. Lovers of Belgian surrealism can amuse themselves by noting the references to the work of painters such as Magritte and Delvaux.
As far as I know, "Taxandria" was not a great success at the box office. The reasons why it didn't do so well are probably many and various. Still, I suppose that at least some of its satirical barbs about the dangers of oppressive over-conformity and bureaucratic tyranny were too astute and accurate to be comfortable. The movie's unpleasant dystopia is not wholly and totally removed from real-life Belgium, as indicated by its name, which refers to a Roman name for a geographical area now part of Belgium.
"Taxandria" is also eerily prescient. One of the themes is mandatory loss of identity, which is enforced by cutting the individual off from both past and future. Compare to our current Western society, where people who should know better openly question or dismiss the relevance of disciplines and sciences such as history (boring), philosophy (boringer) or classic languages (boringest). Or simply watch current news programmes, with their quick and superficial items and their "horror vacui" sensory overload...
Do check out Servais' other animation and graphic work. For instance, there's "Nachtvlinders" (Night moths), a genius short about the work of painter Delvaux, which breathes a truly unsettling and slippery atmosphere.
As far as I know, "Taxandria" was not a great success at the box office. The reasons why it didn't do so well are probably many and various. Still, I suppose that at least some of its satirical barbs about the dangers of oppressive over-conformity and bureaucratic tyranny were too astute and accurate to be comfortable. The movie's unpleasant dystopia is not wholly and totally removed from real-life Belgium, as indicated by its name, which refers to a Roman name for a geographical area now part of Belgium.
"Taxandria" is also eerily prescient. One of the themes is mandatory loss of identity, which is enforced by cutting the individual off from both past and future. Compare to our current Western society, where people who should know better openly question or dismiss the relevance of disciplines and sciences such as history (boring), philosophy (boringer) or classic languages (boringest). Or simply watch current news programmes, with their quick and superficial items and their "horror vacui" sensory overload...
Do check out Servais' other animation and graphic work. For instance, there's "Nachtvlinders" (Night moths), a genius short about the work of painter Delvaux, which breathes a truly unsettling and slippery atmosphere.