Piano Tuner is off key

The malevolent Dr Droz (Gottfried John), driven mad by desire for the beautiful opera diva Malvina (Amira Casar), kidnaps her and whisks her to his island lair: a kind of Bond villain crib meets old toyshop in a jungle.

Also on the island is a piano tuner (Cesar Saracho) who is busy repairing Groz's strange 'automata'. The Quay Brothers' second feature, The Piano Tuner Of Earthquakes, has its exquisite moments - largely the jerky, Jan Svankmajer-esque animation familiar from their debut, Institute Benjamenta. But the acting is wooden and the pace creaks.

The word crepuscular could have been invented for the Quays' dreamy aesthetic where everything feels covered in dust, not least audience consciousness by the end.

The Piano Tuner Of Earthquakes
Cert: cert12A