One of the joys of the awards season for me is to delve into some of the aspects of cinema that I seldom get exposed to. The awards shortlists force me to sit and watch films that wouldn’t normally get to the top of my pile. One such category in the BAFTA for ” Best British Short Animation”. So here are my brief reviews of the three films in that category, which are:
BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
- CRAB DAY Ross Stringer, Bartosz Stanislawek, Aleksandra Sykulak
- VISIBLE MENDING Samantha Moore, Tilley Bancroft
- WILD SUMMON Karni Arieli, Saul Freed, Jay Woolley
Crab Day
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
A fisherman’s son needs to partake in a ritual “blooding” ceremony by killing a crab. His father is present, knowing that it will ‘make him a man’. But the young boy’s heart really isn’t in it.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not rated by the BBFC, but would think it would be a PG due to the violence against crabs!).
Talent:
Directed by: Ross Stringer.
Written by: Aleksandra Sykulak.
“Crab Day” Review:
This is the most basic of the nominees, in terms of the animation style. It is simple line-based drawing and (crabs aside) is in black and white. But the short film has a tremendous amount of heart and the simple but effective story of compassion and a father’s acceptance of his son for being ‘different’ I found to be very moving indeed.
I really doubt it will win, but in terms of overall impact I think this is the one that I would personally choose.
Trailer for “Crab Day”
The trailer for “Crab Day” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZij35mmBaw.
And (at the time of writing) the whole film could be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7aj7-nay4c
Visible Mending
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
Fans of the craft explain their passion for knitting and crochet-work in this clever stop-motion animation.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not rated by the BBFC, but would think it would be a a U).
Talent:
Directed by: Samantha Moore.
“Visible Mending” Review:
A really sweet film, this stop-motion work allows a range of individuals from a wide-variety of backgrounds to explain what needlework has meant to them as a hobby. Some have used it to defeat stress in the face of significant personal challenges. There are a lot of wise words spoken in here about mental health, which is very on-topic for 2024. The animations of the woolen creations are very well done and match the words being spoken as a voiceover. Very clever. The music is also very pleasant.
My only criticism: there was a rather glaring cut to a white screen in the middle of the film that could have been better handled imho.
Trailer for “Visible Mending”
The trailer for “Visible Mending” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9VqlIISZyY .
And (at the time of writing) the whole film could be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XktSC_mBuj8
Wild Summon
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
We join a salmon on its life-cycle-journey from egg to breeding mother.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not rated by the BBFC, but would think it would be a a PG).
Talent:
Directed by: Karni Arieli & Saul Freed.
Written by: Karni Arieli & Saul Freed.
Narrated by: Marianne Faithful.
“Wild Summon” Review:
The most innovative of all of the nominees, this film replaces salmon in its story with little scuba-divers, somehow (bizzarrely) personalising the fight for their survival against all the odds as they struggle from pond to sea and back again. Some of the visual imagery in this film is both startling and superb.
One question: when does a short animation stop being a short animation? The film does use quite a range of landscape video shots, in between the animated sections, to tell its story . I guess this is within the BAFTA rules, else it wouldn’t have made the shortlist!
My one reservation with the film would be the voiceover. Before I started this review I was asking myself “couldn’t they have found someone other than the office temp to do the voiceover? …. someone with a bit more personality?”. But I just found out this was Marianne Faithful. So… not the office temp. But my criticism still stands: it’s a bit dull and laboured.
Trailer for “Wild Summon”
The trailer for “Wild Summon” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK7UTT62i3Q .
And (at the time of writing) the whole film could be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTWwJQpD7X8
Who Will Win and Who Should Win?
As you can tell from the closeness of my scoring, I think these are all really interesting nominees, all completely different in their own way. But I suspect that “Wild Summon” might win the BAFTA as my “Will Win” choice. But “Crab Day” was the one that really caught my imagination, made me laugh a bit and movie me most. So that would be my personal choice as a “Should Win.
Watch out for my main BAFTA predictions post coming up before the end of the week.
