'On the water' is truly a story everybody can relate with. Though short (merely 8'20''), simple (almost minimalistic), it manages to build up a world in which every grand topic of human life is addressed: birth, family, inequality, struggle, love, competition, aging, sickness, and by the end, death.
The reason a short animation film can achieve such things, is mainly thanks to the smart metaphor it bases itself on. Life is a process in time actually, and time only flows in one direction. Thus by depicting time as streaming water, and the physical beings of each individual as row boat, a metaphor system is established. The reality issues can now be mirrored in this metaphor world with accuracy and efficiency.
The film does not stop as mere copy of reality. It strives to answer the time-old question too, namely 'what is the meaning of life?' Perhaps life is not more than this - what 'On the Water' tries to bring to us - a brief glimpse of the world, a poem, an experience, an unforgettable moment of beauty, joy and sorrow.
The reason a short animation film can achieve such things, is mainly thanks to the smart metaphor it bases itself on. Life is a process in time actually, and time only flows in one direction. Thus by depicting time as streaming water, and the physical beings of each individual as row boat, a metaphor system is established. The reality issues can now be mirrored in this metaphor world with accuracy and efficiency.
The film does not stop as mere copy of reality. It strives to answer the time-old question too, namely 'what is the meaning of life?' Perhaps life is not more than this - what 'On the Water' tries to bring to us - a brief glimpse of the world, a poem, an experience, an unforgettable moment of beauty, joy and sorrow.
