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Surviving Life (Theory and Practice)

Play trailer Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) 2010 1h 45m Comedy Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Unhappy with his life, a middle-aged man commits adultery with a woman who exists only in his dreams.

Critics Reviews

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Nigel Andrews Financial Times 12/08/2011
2/5
A hit-the-ground-dead Freudian romp about an office worker's dream life. Go to Full Review
Peter Bradshaw Guardian 12/01/2011
3/5
The film interestingly and subversively takes its stand on the idea that dreams are the real thing; waking life is an exotic, strange tissue of unreal diversions. Go to Full Review
Paul Weedon Little White Lies 12/01/2011
4/5
One of the most imaginative and visually arresting films of the year. Essential viewing. Go to Full Review
Ard Vijn ScreenAnarchy 01/15/2020
Weird without being alienating, educated without being haughty and heartfelt without being (too) sentimental, "Surviving Life" is a psychoanalytically guided tour through the dreams of a distressed individual. Go to Full Review
Daniel Gumble CineVue 12/06/2018
5/5
A psychoanalytical masterpiece. Go to Full Review
Isabel Stevens ViewLondon 08/27/2018
4/5
While the film may lack money, it's by no means short on imagination. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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01/09/2013 Our dreams are a second life See more 11/27/2012 The plot might not interest everybody, but the oddball animation is rather amusing to watch. See more 11/06/2012 Interesting premise on dreaming when all said and done, but a really hard style to get into. See more 07/08/2012 Dreams are absurd, but so is all that equally messy stuff that happens when we're awake. Svankmajer conflates both states into a circular Freudian / Jungian psychoanalysis of the unconscious that brings these two lunatic worlds into one. And maybe, in the end, our unconscious is more important: it defines what we are and how we live our lives. "Only the fusion of dreams and reality can make up a complete human life." See more 06/03/2012 Um romance extra conjugal que só acontece nos sonhos faz um homem buscar dentro de si sua verdadeira identidade. A linguagem de stop motion e montagem é perfeita para discutir psicanálise de uma forma divertida. Cenas surreais alternam com uma trama super bem armada de desfecho imprevisivelmente lógico! See more 03/06/2012 PIFF The master, resting on his laurels, gives us a bloated piece of self-important bullshit. See more Read all reviews
Surviving Life (Theory and Practice)

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On the Milky Road 50% 42% On the Milky Road Watchlist Bad Johnson 28% 22% Bad Johnson Watchlist Premature 48% 40% Premature Watchlist From Time to Time 43% 63% From Time to Time Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Unhappy with his life, a middle-aged man commits adultery with a woman who exists only in his dreams.
Director
Jan Svankmajer
Producer
Jaromír Kallista
Screenwriter
Jan Svankmajer
Production Co
Athanor, Independent Cinema Office, C-Ga Film
Genre
Comedy, Fantasy
Original Language
Czech
Runtime
1h 45m