Japan Synopsis
Jakob arrives at the Institute Benjamenta (run by brother and sister Johannes and Lisa Benjamenta) to learn to become a servant. With seven other men, he studies under Lisa: absurd lessons of movement, drawing circles, and servility. He asks for a better room. No other students arrive and none leave for employment. Johannes is unhappy, imperious, and detached from the school's operation. Lisa is beautiful, at first tightly controlled, then on the verge of breakdown. There's a whiff of incest. Jakob is drawn to Lisa, and perhaps she to him. As winter sets in, she becomes catatonic. Things get worse; Johannes notes that all this has happened since Jakob came. Is there any cause and effect?
The 1994–1996 Japan Window
143 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life sits at position #28.
The 1990s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1990s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life premiered. 447 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #963 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (79th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +0.8 points above the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Animation productions specifically: #785 of 2,532 (top 31%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| All Production Countries | Germany, Japan, United Kingdom |
| Original Language | En |
| Spoken Languages | Afrikaans, English, German, Spanish |
| Production Companies | Koninck Studios, Image Forum, Pandora Film, Hot Property Films, Film4 Productions |
| Runtime | 1h 44m |
| Release Date | August 1, 1995 |
| IMDb | tt0113429 |
| Official Site | www.hotpropertyfilms.com |