13/12/2024 - Jan Saska’s black-and-white short follows a half-man, half-pig who is sent in pursuit of a fresh keg of beer, leading to a fast-paced chase all around the streets of Prague

Screened most recently at Ljubljana’s Animateka International Animation Film Festival, Hurikán has something of a fairytale quality. The titular character (voiced by Patrik Velek), who is half-man, half-pig, is sent on a quest to get a new keg of beer after the bistro he frequents runs dry. He takes the empty container through the streets of Prague not just out of chivalry, but because he is infatuated with the (unimpressed) lady who runs the establishment and tends bar there (Johana Matoušková). On his trek, he comes across colourful characters – not literally, as the film is in black-and-white – who get in his way. The journey culminates in a chase across the Czech capital, while back at the bistro the patrons are gradually relieving the fridge of its bottles.

The tale is told with minimal dialogue. Director Jan Saska and screenwriter Václav Hašek prefer to let the audience understand the protagonist’s thoughts through glances and attitude. The style of execution flows from semi-realism to exaggerated cartoonish features – bulging eyes and wide-open mouths – which bring to mind Satoshi Kon’s approach, particularly in his Christmas film Tokyo Godfathers (2003).

In Hurikán, these hyperbolic expressions are highlighted by pauses. Whether freeze-frame or slow-motion, they let the “camera” linger on dramatic facial expressions and create a comical beat audibly underlined by percussion.

Such fermata are also used to accentuate key moments of the tale. Most notably, the opening scene comprises a snapshot of a group of men watching and cheering as the eponymous Hurikán pours a beer down his throat. The “camera” is mobile and swirls around the characters, and this dramatic in medias res sequence draws the audience in as the film starts. It is, however, the only time the audience’s point of view is as mobile. While these shots pique the viewer’s interest, they could leave the viewer expecting more from the following scenes.

Given the subject matter, Saska seems to be going for a zany affair, but the film never gets as showy as the opening sequence. Even as the mood shifts and the cuts increase in speed, they never reach the point of being frantic. The overall visual perspective becomes less mobile and Saska seems careful never to overly confuse the spectator. However, the pacing and framing of the remainder of the film still conjure a sense of urgency as the empty keg rolls around the streets of Prague. Rapid cuts and miscellaneous details energise the film while the bistro’s fridge being emptied acts as a countdown (from the perspective of the viewer).

The score is restrained – other than during the opening sequence and the percussion that underlines the halted moments, there is no music until the six-minute mark when the pace of the chase picks up. The soundtrack comprises popular Czech rock songs from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s by Pražský výběr, Půlnoc, Milan Hlavsa and Dalibor Janda & Protoyp. Paired with backgrounds depicting the streets of the city surrounding the iconic Žižkov Television Tower, and featuring graffiti from real street artists KBS Crew and Akrobad, they create an immersive Central European backdrop. The end result has enjoyed considerable success on the festival circuit already: Hurikán won the audience award when world-premiering at Annecy this year.

One question remains: why introduce a single anthropomorphic character in this film? Hurikán appears to be the only animal in a world populated by humans. Although no one comments on it, the audience is left to wonder why this should be the case. It could be to play into the fairy-tale aspect of the story. Will this quest for beer redeem the pig-man and break the curse? The most famous pig-man in animation is of course Marco, from Hayao Miyazaki’s Porco Rosso (1992), who returned from war literally transformed. Hurikán’s hybrid nature could similarly symbolise his belonging to the margins of society.

But maybe all the above is overly analytical baloney, and he just happens to be a half-pig.