This year’s animated shorts compilation is a collection of some highly entertaining fare and some which failed to live up to the hype.
Grace Under Water – Anthony Lawrence
We all have bad memories from our childhood. But some memories are stronger than others. This is the case with Lou, whose past bears down upon her as she tries to accept her new stepdaughter, Grace. But a potentially scary situation at the local pool forces Lou to come to terms with both Grace and herself.
I was surprised to see that they took a very realistic approach to the puppets and the set. The world is devoid of any style or exaggerated designs and all of the proportions of the characters are in their rightful place. This may sound like the most boring and downright creepy animation ever created, but this style of animation manages to be very effective. The story is much more grounded in reality than any fantasy or cartoony setting; the more realistic approach allows us to take in the full weight of the story without anything flowery. The movements of the puppets and the water that they are in are expertly animated with realistic flow.
Despite the lack of defined features, the puppets are still expressive. The storytelling, while still containing some exposition, emphasizes showing rather than telling. And by having the characters show a lot of the details of the plot, coupled with the smooth pacing, allow them to come alive. The relationship that builds between Grace and Lou feels genuine as a result.
Everything comes together to form a truly delightful package.
10/10
Phantom Limb – Alex Grigg
A phantom limb is a sensation commonly experienced by amputees where he/she feels that the missing limb is still attached and moving along with the other body parts. But what if your phantom limb was actually a phantom? This is the case for James; the ghost of his wife’s arm constantly haunts him.
The excellence of this film’s storytelling is in what it not only doesn’t show, but what it also doesn’t tell. There’s a lot of negative space involved in the animation, but we can fill in the gaps very easily. The animation, despite being digital, looks organic while still retaining its flow and simplicity. It becomes a vessel, so the audience can allow the story to unfold before them. All the while learning what the cause of the phantom limb really is.
10/10
Through the Hawthorn – Anna Benner, Pia Borg, & Gemma Burditt
I have seen movies that tried to explore the different angles of the characters on the same situation. But never have I seen all of them presented at once. But this is just what this film does. Having three different directors work on three very different perspectives of a story. It sounds disastrous, but this film makes it work very well.
The three characters consist of Sam, a young man who refuses to take his medication for schizophrenia, his calm and calculated psychiatrist, and his frustrated, yet concerned mother. All three of their personalities and viewpoints are represented through the animation. Sam is sporadic and frenzied, the psychiatrist being authoritative but also somewhat weak, and the mother being warm and fragile. It leaves just enough out of the picture to allow us to make our own interpretations of the situation. And the film does a good job of not making one viewpoint the right or wrong one.
It’s a very unique approach that you don’t see a lot in any form of media, not just movies.
10/10
Symphony No. 42 – Réka Bucsi
The film opens with a fox drawing what appears to be the illuminati symbol in the middle of a solar system before shooting himself in the temple. Even if I tried, I would never be able to explain the plot. Just like “365,” this film is a series of random, unrelated events in a sequence. This includes the aforementioned suicidal fox, fishing polar bears, a man painting pink polka dots on a shark, and a woman making love to a fat seal.
In this film however, most of the scenes have a stronger beginning, middle, and end while “365’s” scenes just had a strong middle. They also tried to tie all of the scenes together. But I think this style of story works best where there is no meaning. By implying that there is a method to all of this madness, we are distracted from just enjoying everything in front of us as we try in vain to put the pieces back together.
Although “Symphony No. 42” had better comedic timing and stronger scenes than 365, there’s just something so charming about the sheer chaos of “365” that’s missing in this film. It’s not a bad film, it just doesn’t have the right amount of personality.
8/10
Love in the Time of March Madness – Melissa Johnson, Robertino Zambrano
This film centers on an abnormally tall female basketball player and her journey to find that special someone. The abstract style with only black and white didn’t really seem to do anything with the story. The concept is certainly interesting, trying to get a guy despite being 6’4”. But it starts to lose its focus towards the end, instead trying to get a sense of self-empowerment. I think what this film really needed was a more colorful, romantic comedy style, with a much more comedic touch. But as it stands, it just feels generic and lifeless.
5/10
Shorts: Let’s Get Animated will be playing again on Monday, October 6th at 10 p.m. at the Fox-Bay Cinema and on Thursday, October 9th at 2:15 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre.