This short was nominated for the Academy Award for Animated Short, losing to Feast. There will be spoilers ahead:
This short has a story which may resonate with a lot of viewers. It's about two brothers and their dying mother. I have some understanding of this, though my situation was not analogous to this one.
One of the brothers, Nick, is unemployed and his mother's primary caregiver of the two brothers. He takes care of his mother's needs when the hired caregivers aren't available. Richard is the favored son, even though he does next to nothing to help apart from occasionally swooping in after the heavy lifting has been done to do a small amount of work and take credit. All through the short, the two make their personalities apparent in ways large and small.
Nick must tolerate being treated second hand by others as the supposed lesser of the two brothers because he's less flashy and unemployed. For much of the short, his efforts are overlooked and the tension between the brothers and even Nick and his mother is quite palpable at times.
The animation is an interesting technique which includes live action footage wherever water is involved. The characters are shown as life-size characters. It's an intriguing technique, but is of secondary importance to the story and character development. The story arc is inevitable, given the subject matter. The short ends with more questions than answers-and that's a good thing.
This short is available online for rental or purchase and is well worth watching. Recommended.
This short has a story which may resonate with a lot of viewers. It's about two brothers and their dying mother. I have some understanding of this, though my situation was not analogous to this one.
One of the brothers, Nick, is unemployed and his mother's primary caregiver of the two brothers. He takes care of his mother's needs when the hired caregivers aren't available. Richard is the favored son, even though he does next to nothing to help apart from occasionally swooping in after the heavy lifting has been done to do a small amount of work and take credit. All through the short, the two make their personalities apparent in ways large and small.
Nick must tolerate being treated second hand by others as the supposed lesser of the two brothers because he's less flashy and unemployed. For much of the short, his efforts are overlooked and the tension between the brothers and even Nick and his mother is quite palpable at times.
The animation is an interesting technique which includes live action footage wherever water is involved. The characters are shown as life-size characters. It's an intriguing technique, but is of secondary importance to the story and character development. The story arc is inevitable, given the subject matter. The short ends with more questions than answers-and that's a good thing.
This short is available online for rental or purchase and is well worth watching. Recommended.