Hourglass Sanatorium, The | Blu-ray

The later work in Wojciech Has' career should be approached with caution by the uninitiated. Not because of any specific content warnings, but because of the intensely surrealist and avant-garde nature of his narratives.

Often considered the second of Has' masterworks, alongside The Saragossa Manuscript, The Hourglass Sanitorium abandons most of the traditional storytelling structure of the former text. Ostensibly the story of a man going to visit his father in a Sanatorium, the film depicts a world of constantly shifting environments and behaviors.

It's a beautiful, haunting film full of evocative imagery. A must see for fans of the gothic and the absurd and for those looking for true visionary projects. For those looking for a tale in which A connects to B and leads to C? It might be better left avoided.

Special Features (via vinegarsyndrome.com)

• Introduction Notes on The Hourglass Sanatorium by Annette Insdorf, Film Professor at Columbia University, and author of books including "Intimations: The Cinema of Wojciech Has"
• Post Screening Notes on The Hourglass Sanatorium by Annette Insdorf
• Discussion on The Hourglass Sanatorium with Sebastian Smoliński, Film Critic
• Written Essay by Samm Deighan, writer
• Written Essay by Annette Insdorf
• English subtitles