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IDFA 2007

Ropáci

Oilgobblers
Jan Sverák
Czech Republic
1988
20 min
n.a.
Festival history
In this documentary molded into a nature science show, a group of scientists is taking seriously the wild stories of strange little creatures around toxic quarries and industrial wastelands. In his amateur painting an old man depicts the mud-loving Oil Gobblers that he has seen from a distance. Oil Gobblers are best described as animals that have evolved to be the perfect denizen of a polluted world. With a film crew, the scientists visit the old gatekeeper of a burning oil-rich coalmine in Northern Bohemia that is giving off carbon monoxide fumes. The film crew sends a cameraman into the quarry, but he almost dies from the toxic fumes. They find evidence of the creatures having chewed rubber boots and the plastic sheets from neat rows of replanted trees. With increasing excitement, they capture on film froggy things swimming in oil mud pools and playing on quarry heaps. When caught in too much fresh air, one Oil Gobbler dies, so they dissect it in a makeshift lab. They find a live baby, which they must keep in a cage attracted to the truck's exhaust pipe until they can return to the city, where bad air will surely be good for it.
Credits
Screening copy
    Biograf Jan Sverak s.r.o.
    Biograf Jan Sverak s.r.o.