Death is corporeal in this odd little animated short. It is a bit cliched in that it uses the "touch of death" motif. Certain animals and plants are singled out. The main focus is on a female deer that walks with death and then embraces it at the end. I have to say, it gave me the creeps at times.
5 Reviews
The ending makes it very much worth watching
Horst_In_Translation4 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"The Life of Death" is a Dutch 5-minute short film from 2012 that does not need any spoken language to succeed, which means you don't need any subtitles. The writer and director is Marsha Onderstijn and it's a bit sad she hasn't made any other films before or after this one (according to IMDb). I am also surprised to see this does not have any awards recognition because it was a good watch fore sure. It's okay early on, but the ending really is greatness achieved. I am also not sure if I liked the animation style. Overall I guess I did, even if it did not blow me away. And in terms of the story, I am a bit unsure how well it worked as life is the opposite of death, but life is everywhere in this film, not just in the doe, while death is always in one spot only. Oh well, I guess you can justify it overall. This was a good little film from five years ago and I think those that love animated (short) films should really check it out. It's a thumbs-up.
Even Death needs a friend
Rectangular_businessman3 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This often appeared on my Youtube recommendations, but I never gave it a chance, since I thought it looked a bit kitschy. The premise also seemed a bit weird, with a semi-anthropomorphic personification of death seemingly falling in love with a non-anthropomorphic doe kinda put me off.
Fortunately, the short didn't went "there", being more a tale of friendship rather than "romantic" love.
The animation is honestly a bit unpolished looking, but not without its charm. The same goes for the soundtrack, which is a bit generic, but at least not as melodramatic or distracting as it could have been, considering the nature of the plot.
There is a little bit of "romanticization" of death at the beginning which personally made me roll my eyes a little (Death rarely comes as gentle in the natural world as it is depicted here, with a mere touch), but the ending was genuinely moving.
A bit manipulative, but definately effective, I must admit.
Fortunately, the short didn't went "there", being more a tale of friendship rather than "romantic" love.
The animation is honestly a bit unpolished looking, but not without its charm. The same goes for the soundtrack, which is a bit generic, but at least not as melodramatic or distracting as it could have been, considering the nature of the plot.
There is a little bit of "romanticization" of death at the beginning which personally made me roll my eyes a little (Death rarely comes as gentle in the natural world as it is depicted here, with a mere touch), but the ending was genuinely moving.
A bit manipulative, but definately effective, I must admit.
Death loves life, life befriends death
Schrodingermind24 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The host is just an intermediate being connecting life and death. One of the touching short movies I have seen. It is the duty of death to take lives despite it's being cute and never liked it's job.
This is a fantastic idea. I loved the way the director thought inside-out.
When the main character, death, hesitates to do his job, the life befriends it, helps in its job, living a short lived great friendship.
Could have been longer.. Just for the idea, I rate it 9 or 10. Who am I? A soul with one half, the life, wanting to meet the other half, the death.
This is a fantastic idea. I loved the way the director thought inside-out.
When the main character, death, hesitates to do his job, the life befriends it, helps in its job, living a short lived great friendship.
Could have been longer.. Just for the idea, I rate it 9 or 10. Who am I? A soul with one half, the life, wanting to meet the other half, the death.
a touch
Kirpianuscus9 December 2018
The death and its delicate touch. The life as a delicate deer. A sort of friendship. In silence, across seasons. And the hang changing everything. Or only reminding old truth and destroyng too fragile hopes. A beautiful film for each scene. Fascinating, tender and touching. Almost, an animated poem.
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