I just saw this short for the first time today and it's a stunner, both visually and emotionally. It most definitely deserved the Academy Award it won in February.
Even though the concept of an animated documentary dates back to at least the 1940s (Disney did quite a few during World War II, most notably Victory Through Air Power) and possibly even earlier, it is sufficiently rare in occurrence that it still has a novel quality here. Mild spoilers follow.
The visuals are nothing short of astounding and you can watch it for those alone and enjoy this immensely. But this is more than eye candy. While Ryan Larkin is the stated focus, it stuck me that the heart of the short is fear-the fear behind a phrase such as, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." Chris Landreth is, I have no doubt, a compassionate fellow and I'm sure an interest in Larkin was part of his motivation for making the film. But I think the greater motivation is an inner fear that he could be in Larkin's shoes someday. He basically says this more than once in the short. The number of figures you see on the edges who are disabled, disfigured or without hope reinforce this emotional turmoil. The question Landreth asks Larkin about his alcoholism is another indicator that this isn't just concern for Larkin's welfare.
This is a very disquieting short, worth repeated viewing. This is almost as disturbing as Balance. It is on DVD through the National Film Board of Canada and is well worth seeing. I cannot recommend this more highly.
Even though the concept of an animated documentary dates back to at least the 1940s (Disney did quite a few during World War II, most notably Victory Through Air Power) and possibly even earlier, it is sufficiently rare in occurrence that it still has a novel quality here. Mild spoilers follow.
The visuals are nothing short of astounding and you can watch it for those alone and enjoy this immensely. But this is more than eye candy. While Ryan Larkin is the stated focus, it stuck me that the heart of the short is fear-the fear behind a phrase such as, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." Chris Landreth is, I have no doubt, a compassionate fellow and I'm sure an interest in Larkin was part of his motivation for making the film. But I think the greater motivation is an inner fear that he could be in Larkin's shoes someday. He basically says this more than once in the short. The number of figures you see on the edges who are disabled, disfigured or without hope reinforce this emotional turmoil. The question Landreth asks Larkin about his alcoholism is another indicator that this isn't just concern for Larkin's welfare.
This is a very disquieting short, worth repeated viewing. This is almost as disturbing as Balance. It is on DVD through the National Film Board of Canada and is well worth seeing. I cannot recommend this more highly.