A Quiet Week in the House

A man, apparently fleeing something, takes refuge in a rundown house and spends his days making a single, small alteration to its walls. Each time he drills a hole and looks through, he encounters a different surreal scene, as if each room holds a private dream. The film doesn't explain who he is or why he keeps watching, and it avoids a traditional plot arc, preferring repeated, oddly ritualistic acts that build atmosphere. Stop-motion and found-object techniques give the visions a tactile, slightly abrasive quality, so the film reads more like a sequence of strange, related impressions than a conventional story.

Released in 1969, the short was directed by Jan Švankmajer and features Václav Borovička credited as Man. It represents some of Švankmajer's early work with stop-motion and mixed media and circulated mainly through art venues and festival screenings.

No reliable box office records exist for this experimental short, and it never had a conventional commercial run. Its circulation was driven by film festivals, university programs, and repertory screenings rather than mainstream theatrical distribution.

Over time the film helped solidify Švankmajer's reputation for tactile, surreal animation, with its focus on domestic objects and odd juxtapositions becoming a hallmark of his style. Filmmakers and animators interested in surrealism and material-based animation have cited early works like this as important reference points within experimental cinema history.

Critical and audience responses are mixed, which matches a modest 6.1/10 user score. Viewers often praise the textural animation and unsettling moods, while some criticize the minimal character detail and lack of narrative payoff. The film repeatedly returns to themes of perception, repetition, and the uneasy border between ordinary interiors and unconscious imagery, asking the viewer to sit with discomfort and curiosity rather than offering clear answers.