All the 2012 Oscar-nominated shorts show a strong sense of place - but none as strong as "Tuba Atlantic". A wind-lashed Norwegian coast evokes the shore between life and death; a haunting Nordic-fiddle score drives the feeling home.
When Oskar finds out he has only six more days to live, he doesn't let up on his holy war against seagulls. Instead, he deputizes the teenage girl who has come to be his "death angel". But he has other matters on his mind: before he dies, will he hear from his estranged brother?
Teetering on a surreal stylistic edge, the film's writer and director tuck a whimsical card into their hand right beside the gallows-humor. And it's a pretty winning hand. "Tuba Atlantic" is a crotchety memento mori that leaves just enough unsaid to mean a lot. And, unlike a lot of shorts that leave you wondering how the characters changed...
When Oskar finds out he has only six more days to live, he doesn't let up on his holy war against seagulls. Instead, he deputizes the teenage girl who has come to be his "death angel". But he has other matters on his mind: before he dies, will he hear from his estranged brother?
Teetering on a surreal stylistic edge, the film's writer and director tuck a whimsical card into their hand right beside the gallows-humor. And it's a pretty winning hand. "Tuba Atlantic" is a crotchety memento mori that leaves just enough unsaid to mean a lot. And, unlike a lot of shorts that leave you wondering how the characters changed...