Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass

2024 1h 16m Animation Fantasy List
Tomatometer 3 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
A ghostly train journey on a forgotten branch line transports a son, Jozef, visiting his dying Father in a remote Galician Sanatorium. Upon arrival Jozef finds the Sanatorium entirely moribund and run by a dubious Doctor Gotard who tells him that his father’s death, the death that has struck him in his country has not yet occurred, and that here they are always late by a certain interval of time of which the length cannot be defined. Jozef will come to realise that the Sanatorium is a floating world halfway between sleep and wakefulness and that time and events cannot be measured in any tangible form.

Critics Reviews

View All (3) Critics Reviews
Guy Lodge Variety Seductive and confounding in equal measure, the Quays’ latest is enough of a trip that our world looks a little stranger when the lights come up and we emerge, blearily blinking, back into it. Sep 3, 2024 Full Review Tim Grierson Screen International If the film fails to add up to much, its ability to carry audiences to a universe they have never encountered is sufficiently rewarding. Aug 29, 2024 Full Review David Cuevas Next Best Picture “Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass” is an arduous retelling of a challenging tale. The labyrinthine execution is more a reaffirmation of the Quays’ signature style than a creative reinvention. Rated: 4/10 Sep 10, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A ghostly train journey on a forgotten branch line transports a son, Jozef, visiting his dying Father in a remote Galician Sanatorium. Upon arrival Jozef finds the Sanatorium entirely moribund and run by a dubious Doctor Gotard who tells him that his father’s death, the death that has struck him in his country has not yet occurred, and that here they are always late by a certain interval of time of which the length cannot be defined. Jozef will come to realise that the Sanatorium is a floating world halfway between sleep and wakefulness and that time and events cannot be measured in any tangible form.
Director
Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
Producer
Lucie Conrad, Izabela Kiszka-Hofilk
Screenwriter
Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
Genre
Animation, Fantasy
Original Language
Polish
Runtime
1h 16m