Calling this animated documentary anything less than the most beautiful delineation of two immutable truths of human existence - pain and death, would be a gross underestimation. At its conclusion, it won't be wrong to expect an overwhelming deluge of emotions, but one which is cathartic in nature. Nguyen deserves further appreciation for interacting with a film type, an animated documentary, which anyway is an ignored field of filmmaking, and thus does not boast of too many reliable fixed templates to turn to for inspiration. Yet, the filmmaker manages to offer the most seamless union of animation and live action.

 The film shares the story of three characters and their encounters with death and the grief that followed in its wake. The narrative employs stunning animation to portray them. The timing, pacing, the manner in which the three parallel narratives are placed and inter-weaved with each other, allow the overarching story of the documentary to truly come into its own, be all that it can be, and more. 

As colours and visuals bleed into the screen space, invoking a surreal reality of loss and heartache, inseparable from each other, a life of distractions, intoxicants, escapism and the eventual moving on is conjured for the viewer. The moving frames and lines become the most accurate representation of the transience of memory and the uncertainty of revisiting another's experience through their narrative. In the process, Apart manages to push the boundaries of animation to present a moving, poignant and surreal interaction with its subject matter.

Apart | Short Film of the Day

Whether or not the film intended it, it manages to convey more than a single story through its layered narrative. A nurse, played by Gemma Whelan of the Game of Thrones fame, finds herself making her way into an eerie house which is in a state of complete abandon. The only other inhabitant of it is her patient, a bed-ridden, elderly woman. The film builds itself slowly, maintaining a pace which strikes the right balance between revealing and concealing adequate amounts of the plot. As the nurse gets to taking care of chores and looking after her patient, she stumbles across a door which wasn't previously visible on the wall. Just when she is about to succeed at opening it, indistinct noises from inside forces her to not only shut it tightly, but block its path completely to ensure it never manages to open itself. Of course this isn't the end of the road for our protagonist, instead only the beginning. The door begins to follow her around the house. However, her most difficult obstacle is perhaps something else, as suggested by the haunting, most jarring climax and the conclusion of the film. Additionally, the image of the door struggling to open itself, but constantly being pushed back by the protagonist in her fear of the unknown, becomes a notable message about one's internal struggles to shut out what is unknown to them, even if it potentially holds the key to their escape from a far more horrifying situation.

The Blue Door | Gemma Whelan | Short Film of the Day

A cattle farmer's internal dilemmas and his inability to reconcile the fondness that he grew to develop with his animals, with the inherent violence meted out to them as part of his profession, finds the most poignant representation in this documentary film. The story is of Jay Wilde and how he struggles within the norms of an industry that makes it increasingly difficult to pioneer change in its age-old practices. The film works on several levels. The first thing the viewer is most likely to notice, beyond the strength of its subject, is its brilliant, seamless and sophisticated camerawork. This is followed by the patience as well as the meticulousness of the plot which takes its time coming into its own, yet does not underutilise even a single moment. The narrative eventually becomes one of hope, resilience, and above all, kindness. It further offers the most heartwarming portrayal of animals, cows primarily, as not mindless creatures whose sole purpose is to serve humans, but as thinking beings with unique personalities. All of this is achieved without explicitly spelling out anything, and it is in this quiet, nuanced manner that the true strength as well as the success of 73 Cows lies.

73 Cows | Short Film of the Day

The story of the short film is simple and straight. It is told with a crispness (of acting, editing, pacing of the structure), with not a single moment wasted on any redundancies, that succeeds in making Standby a deeply endearing watch. The narrative is about the shared space of two cops as they go about their daily duties. From an awkward start to their relationship to all the warmth, concern and mutual support it comes to stand for - the film portrays it all. This storytelling is further enhanced by an efficient utilisation of the limited resources of space, albeit self-inflicted by the narrative, that holds the viewer's attention throughout. Visually the film is achieved primarily within a single, fixed frame of the front of the car of the two characters, Gary and Jenny. While they keep moving with the occurrence of different events in their lives, the camera remains at the same spot throughout. Seamless editing further ensures that this does not become repetitive, while also allowing the film to be a humorous, touching watch throughout.

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