Flora

Rotten, dark-red tomatoes, decaying sprouts and leaves riddled with insect holes. A twisted clay figure, horrified to find himself tightly bound to a filthy bed. His entire body is being covered and eroded by countless festering foods. He reeks of foul odor, swarming with dense clusters of maggots. Yet no matter how he struggles, he cannot escape this sick, endless cycle. Until the sound of police sirens shatters this frenzy of slaughter and torment. The scene lingers on a glass of plain water, then quietly fades to black. 　　This surrealist work, "Flora," created by Czech film and animation master Jan Švankmajer, is included in the collection "Jan Švankmajer's Short Films: The Early Years." Under the rapid montage of close-up shots, this symbol of sacred and solemn beauty continuously disintegrates and rots away—and what collapses and crumbles is far more than just "Flora."