Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life
Jakob goes to the Institute Benjamenta, which is administered by the Benjamenta siblings, Johannes and Lisa, so that he might study how to become a servant. In the presence of seven other male students, he receives ludicrous instruction from Lisa in the areas of movement, drawing circles, and servitude. He requests to be moved to a more desirable accommodation. There is not a single new student, and none of the current ones are going to get jobs. Johannes is miserable, he is a dictator, and he is not involved in the running of the school. Lisa is stunning, at first carefully controlled, and then on the edge of completely breaking down. There is a scent of incest in the air. Lisa has a magnetic pull on Jakob, and he likely feels the same way about her. As the winter progresses, she deteriorates into a catatonic state. Things go from bad to worse, and Johannes remarks that all of this has transpired since Jacob arrived. Is there any relationship between cause and effect?
Released: 1995-08-01
Duration: 104
min