FOAMBATH
Colour trickfilm to heartbeat, 78 min, 1979

“It is difficult to conceive a more confusing animation film than György Kovásznai?s work titled Foambath (1979), in which an unexcelled visual and musical orgy mixes with real Hungarian ‘gagyism’ (phoniness) and a terrible knowledge of the human nature with the critique of the Kádárist philistine. What is it like when the disintegrating psyche of a professional window-dresser gets shape? What is it like when a film is 15 years ahead of its time?” (see article by Olivér Horváth)
Kovásznai, who died in 1983, wanted to break up with traditional animation themes and had a goal to create an all-night animation film about people from Pest. He is anatomizing problems of the youth including the most difficult one: what to do with ourselves, what to do with our partner, what about having children and bringing them up, and generally, how to fulfill our tasks in life. This serious topic is presented in an unusually eclectic style and in an entertaining way. This film is a grotesque animation musical comedy: it embraces various painting styles, from pop-art via Picasso to Rippl-Rónai; songs are performed by Kati Bontovics and Albert Antalffy, and creators even include original interviews which tell us how to bring up 8 children and whether there are minor Gypsies who give birth or not