Institute Benjamenta Movie Poster

Institute Benjamenta

Institute Benjamenta

From the directing team of identical twin brothers Timothy Quay and Stephen Quay, Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life focuses on the experiences of Jakob Von Gunten (Mark Rylance), who has come to the titular institute to train to become a manservant. Amidst a series of unorthodox lessons under the instruction of brother and sister Johannes Benjamenta (Gottfried John) and Lisa Benjamenta (Alice Krige), Jakob becomes attracted to Lisa and she to him. As the magnetism between the two of them intensifies, Lisa's health declines more and more, leading Johannes to question Jakob's influence on her. The screenplay was adapted from the novel Jakob von Gunten by Robert Walser.
Cast: Alice Krige, Mark Rylance, Gottfried John, Daniel Smith, Joseph Alessi, Peter Lovstrom
Director: Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
Producer(s): Karl Baumgartner, Keith Griffiths, Katsue Tomiyama