Following the previous entry on the child-made films, I will discuss how I would have voted for the adult-made films.
My 1st prize: The Lost Thing
My 2nd prize: Superhuman
My 3rd prize: Franswa Sharl
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| The Lost Thing |
Having won the Best Animated Short Film at the 2011 Oscars I’ll add my voice to the general acclaim for The Lost Thing. I first saw it at the Melbourne International Film Festival last year where it also won an award. Shaun Tan, who was one of the co-directors, and whose book the film is based on, has gone onto an even higher honour, being the 2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner, the world’s richest children and young adult literature prize. As for the film, I doubt I can add much more. I’ve been a big fan of Shaun Tan’s work for many years, and this film goes very close to doing justice to his astounding drawings. The story speaks of alienation, and how we tend to ignore the unusual in our lives, even if it’s right in front of us. Yet, the penultimate scene gives hope that lost things can find their place in the world.
Youtube video of entire film with Russian subtitles. It is also available on DVD, with plenty of special features.
Superhuman is a gem. It deals with tragedy with humour, but is neither flippant nor heavy-handed in doing so. Drawing upon a child’s view of the world with precision, it cleverly depicts their outsized imaginations of what their parents are capable, and what happens when their illusions are corrected by reality.
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| Superhuman |
Franswa Sharl was hilarious even after having seen it several times. I also first saw this at the Melbourne International Film Festival. It won the 1st prize for the adult made film at Little Big Shots, which it can add it to its prestigious awards collection, which includes a Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Callan McAuliffe carries off the cheeky role with ease, and provides a wry voiceover and the supporting actors play their limited roles to perfection.
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| Minnie Loves Junior |
It was hard not to put this film in my top three because Minnie Loves Junior was the most endearing film in the competition, and the film I enjoyed the most. It won a special mention in the Generation Kplus section at the Berlin International Film Festival. This film first came to my attention when I saw it listed as part of the Giffoni Experience 2010 in the Generator + 10 short film section. This is such a tender and touching film, yet it has its lighter moments. Languidly paced, it never feels like the story is in a hurry to be told, and with a beautiful ocean backdrop, why not? Yet it still builds to a substantial climax. This a simple story of young love: Minnie is in love with Junior, but Junior pays no notice because he loves the sea. So how can Minnie get Junior’s attention? It’s certainly not with words! Only eight words are uttered – a most commendable economy of dialogue. See this article on the background of the filmmakers.
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| Mandarin Peel |
Mandarins have never looked so juicy and sticky as in Anna McGrath’s Mandarin Peel. With no dialogue, it is a poetic vignette of the friendship of two girls, set against the dry Australian landscape. The contrast between the girls, the landscape and the mandarin is remarkable. I first saw one of Anna McGrath’s films, Small Change, at last year’s Little Big Shots, which focuses, in not quite as concentrated a manner, on the small yet special moments in life.
Youtube clip of Small Change and short interview with Anna.
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