It’s the Oscars tonight and I’ve been trying to watch all of the Animated Short Films before the awards get given out. Here are my reviews of the films – all but one – that I did get to watch.
The nominees:
- LETTER TO A PIG – Tal Kantor and Amit R. Gicelter
- NINETY-FIVE SENSES – Jerusha Hess and Jared Hess
- OUR UNIFORM – Yegane Moghaddam
- PACHYDERME – Stéphanie Clément and Marc Rius
- WAR IS OVER! INSPIRED BY THE MUSIC OF JOHN & YOKO – Dave Mullins and Brad Booker
Letter to a Pig
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
A Holocaust survivor tries to recount his tale of the war and being saved by a pig from the Nazis.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not rated by the BBFC, but would think it would be a 12).
Talent:
Directed by: Tal Kantor.
Written by: Tal Kantor.
Starring (voice): Moriyah Meerson, Alexander Peleg, Ayelet Margalit.
Running Time: 17m.
“Letter to a Pig” Review:
This animation starts really strongly with a gripping opening chase, cleverly animated with line drawings. The innovation proceeds through the school classroom scene with Haim (Alexander Peleg) recounting his tale and young Alma (Moriyah Meerson) being increasingly carried away with the story. I’m afraid the last section of the film rather lost me. First pigs are good; then there’s an evil pig; then revenge is enacted; then there’s a cute piglet. In the words of Austin Powers “What does it all mean Basil?”.
There’s no doubting the quality of the artwork, animation and innovation here, but narratively, if the film had stuck to its knitting, I would have enjoyed it more.
Trailer for “Letter to a Pig”
The trailer for “Letter to a Pig” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G37KERv7us.
At the time of writing the whole film is available to rent on Vimeo on Demand here – https://vimeo.com/ondemand/lettertoapig.
Ninety-Five Senses
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
An old man recounts his life story in relation to his senses.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not rated by the BBFC, but would think it would be a 12. )
Talent:
Directed by: Jared Hess & Jerusha Hess.
Written by: Chris Bowman & Hubbel Palmer
Starring (voice): Tim Blake Nelson.
“Ninety-Five Senses” Review:
I wasn’t very impressed with this one when it first started, but then when the concept of the piece made itself clear, I warmed to it. There’s some good animation in here, but not on a par with that shown in “Letter to a Pig”. I was also mildly irritated by the Hillbilly accent of the man – all “veh-hick-you-lar” stuff and all. I know that Tim Blake Nelson doesn’t talk like that, so imho he over-hammed the accent.
Trailer for “Ninety-Five Senses”
The trailer for “Ninety-Five Senses” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApzeYd3_ZM0 .
And (at the time of writing) the whole film could be viewed here.
Our Uniform
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
An Iranian teen explores the limitations of her dress-code while attending school in Tehran.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not rated by the BBFC, but would think it would be a PG.)
Talent:
Directed by: Yegane Moghaddam
“Our Uniform” Review:
This is a cleverly animated short using a combination of traditional animation and stop-motion animation. The film has some telling points to make about the strict rules upheld in Iran. (Although it’s very respectful, I suspect it’s probably not a film that the Iranian government are that keen on.)
This is the first ever Iranian short film to be nominated for an Oscar.
Trailer for “Our Uniform”
A clip from “Our Uniform” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX2IXwboSbU.
At the time of writing, the film was available to view on Youtube here:
Pachyderme
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
Louise recounts her trips to the country to stay with her Granny and Grandpa at the age of 9. But the tranquility hides a brooding menace.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not rated by the BBFC, but would think it would be a 12 or even a 15 ).
Talent:
Directed by: Stéphanie Clément.
Written by: Marc Rius.
Starring (Voice): Christa Théret.
Running Time: 11m.
“Pachyderme” Review:
This is a really clever piece of storytelling. The film is told in a fairytale kind of way: a jolly jape of a vacation with Granny and Grandpa. However, she is reluctant for her parents to leave and she wants to hide in the wallpaper of her bedroom each night. There’s a steady tension built up to the storyline as you very gradually appreciate that something else is going on, though never overtly stated. Louise in adult life tries to “drwon the pachyderme” (horn)…. “But the lake will never be deep enough”.
Thought provoking and moving, this is one of the best on the shortlist that I’ve seen.
Trailer for “Pachyderme”
The trailer for “Pachyderme” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mSiNVQoFG4.
And (at the time of writing) the whole film could be viewed here for a rental fee here.
War Is Over (Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko)
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
TBD.
Plot Summary:
In an alternate WWI reality, a heroic pigeon delivers messages across the battlefield, from one side to the other. The messages are exchanged by two soldiers on opposite sides, who, unaware of who their opponent is, are playing a game of chess against each other. As the fighting and the game both escalate, they continue to exchange their chess moves, delivered by the brave pigeon. Whoever wins the game, what’s certain is that there are no winners in war.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not yet rated by the BBFC.)
Talent:
Directed by: Dave Mullins.
Written by: Dave Mullins & Sean Lennon.
Running Time: 11m.
“War Is Over (Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko)” Review:
Frustratingly, I can’t seem to find anywhere to watch this one, even for a fee.
This looks to have a lot of heft behind it, with animation driven my Weta studios and even a score composed by Thomas Newman.
The film’s website, with more “making of” videos is here – http://warisover.com/
Trailer for “War Is Over (Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko)”
The trailer for “War Is Over (Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko)” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcvoi_s6jY8.
And (at the time of writing) I couldn’t find the film anywhere online.
Who Will Win and Who Should Win?
Lots of interesting animations in here, but its just really frustrating that I can’t watch “War is Over”…. the only one of the fifteen short films that I haven’t been able to find online. Grrrr…. You can guarantee that this will be the one that wins now!
Out of the ones I’ve seen, “Pachyderme” was the one that connected most with me, so I will be cheering for that in the awards show tonight. But I suspect “War is Over”, with its Lennon-related content will come through.
