Little Otik

Little Otik is a horror film from the Czech Republic that is also known as "Greedy Guts".

A lonely middle-age couple who is infertile and unable to have their very own child is in great distress as a result. To heal his wife's sadness, the husband chops and carves a piece of wood to look like a baby, which he then gives to his her. The wife becomes extremely happy, however she grows dangerously obsessed and emotionally bonded with the figure. She begins to take care of the doll 24/7 as if it were actually a living, breathing baby of her own. She lies to her neighbors that the baby is fake, and she also keeps the wooden child from the view of her acquaintances. The husband (or father?) becomes increasingly concerned with the mental health of his wife. Then, as if you didn't see it coming, the baby becomes....ALIVE!!! While the "baby" tree carving is only portrayed in a stop-motion setting, it can perform human actions such as motion, sleeping, and eating. They decide to name the little creature "Otik", and boy can Otik eat a lot. Soon, "Little Otik" isn't so little anymore and he decides to eat pets, and even humans if there is a chance. As neighbors and friends of the couple become ever more suspicious of the family, one teenage girl discovers the truth. The girl uncovers that the life of the family and thir "Little Otik" child is actually a Czech storytale being re-told in reality. At the end of the Czech fairytale, the wooden monster had eaten many humans and grown to exteme porportions before being chopped up by an old lady. To put it briefly, this is exactly how the conclusion of the movie plays out.    

By watching this foreign film in my Global Film Studies class, I think many people had different opinions on what they thought of the movie. Sticking to our goal of making "cultural bridges", I will now mention some of the similarities and differences between Czech society/culture and American society/culture. In Little Otik, a few instances there were shown sexual images (including body parts) that would be frowned upon in the U.S. Generally, Europeans are more vocal and open on nudity and the such, and the U.S. have more strict viewing guidelines. Also, American horror films are more complex and in that they are designed to be more horrific on your emotions and your mentality, unlike Little Otik. Both countries appreciate the arts, cinemetography, and historical writings such as national fairytales and stories. Audiences of both countries can initially sympathize with the infertile couple, however only to an extent in the plot.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie because it kept me (and the audience) on the edge of our seats. There were some humorous moments scattered in the plot, however the jokes were very dry in that they were sickening and disturbing too. Also included in this film were grotesque and certainly disturbing scenes and images. This is the only indicating factor that classified this production to the "horror" genre. I personally believe that a good horror film will keep you thinking (and fearing) about it for days afterwards. Admittedly, this was the case for meyself. For about a week, every time I went to the basement I though of the "Little Otik" and its ugly figure. Anyways, I hope this foreign film review was helpful and I highly recommend you try watching Little Otik because it was very well-made and it i an interesting look at the nature of Czech culture.