"Sanatorium pod klepsydra" is a surreal assault on the senses and perhaps one of the most beautifully shot Polish movies ever made.It's based on the remarkable collection of stories 'Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass' written by Bruno Schultz.Our protagonist Josef(Jan Nowicki)travels on a dilapidated and mysterious train to visit his father at a decayed sanatorium in the middle of the Polish countryside.His journey into a tangled world of real and imagined experiences begins.Extremely stylish and surreal mind trip is the best way to describe "Hourglass Sanatorium".Filled with elaborate set-pieces and philosophical dialogue the world imagined by Bruno Schultz is truly one of its kind.The sleazy shots of half-naked women are a nice touch and the glimpse into Jewish culture is fascinating.A must-see for fans of bizarre and unusual cinema.The wax mannequins sequence is stunningly beautiful.9 out of 10.

This mystical wide-screen allegory was inspired by the short stories of Bruno Schulz (the Polish Franz Kafka),but is closer in spirit to an Eastern European 'Alice in Wonderland'. The film has the rich visual texture and elliptical logic of a dream, but viewers unprepared for the haphazard structure and lack of any linear plot may find their patience wearing thin after a few scenes. It opens with a young man visiting his father in a remote sanatorium, where he enters into a kaleidoscopic world of real and imagined events spanning back and forth across time and memory (at one point he glances out a window and sees himself arriving at the front door). Like many post '60s head-trips the film has a devoted cult following, but the primitive, post-dubbed stream of consciousness style hasn't aged very well, and what may have once been a daring escape from the straitjacket of narrative convention can now seem like two full hours of sloppy self-indulgence.

I've watched this film twice within the year now, and the first time, I'll admit, I was a little too overwhelmed to write a review for this movie. It left me both confused and completely enchanted, and I knew immediately that I wanted to watch the movie again, now knowing how the film would progress. Indeed, this is a movie that I feel like needs either two viewings or a bit of prior knowledge to fully appreciate. It's absolutely one of a kind when it comes to production design, story structure, even atmosphere and acting. This movie is a rabbit hole down which the viewer falls, and the first time through, it's difficult to take in everything, because there is so much going on. When I sat down to watch this for a second time I knew what to look for, I knew the general storyline, and I felt myself not only enjoying the film as a story a lot more, but I also found myself appreciating the cinematic tricks and imagery more too. This is not an easy film to watch- it requires thinking, patience, and a lot of imagination, but if you're a cinephile who likes movies in the same vein as Jodorowsky or have an interest in production design, this is a film you wont want to miss.