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

The documentary by Sherpas Cinema is the most breathtaking romance with the frightening, intimidating, but also overwhelming mountains. Tracing the life of a Sherpa called Apa, who as a baby miraculously survived an avalanche and now holds the world record of having summited the formidable mountain 21 times, this short film invokes concern a very important cause - education in rural Nepal. It draws attention to the hardships the locals deal with on a daily basis, often risking their lives climbing the Himalayas as porters, in order to be able to make ends meet for their families. The short film throws light on the life and times of the community which is struggling to get education at its doorstep to ensure their children have more opportunities than they did. With its stunning cinematography, brilliant narrative and honest storytelling, Everest is sure to move you in a manner few pieces of art are capable of.

Apa Sherpa | Short Film of the Day

The short film uses a very pressing concern of contemporary times as its subject matter - the effect of human encroachment on environment. However, instead of adopting a macro approach, it chooses the story of an ornithologist who has dedicated his life to the preservation of a severely endangered species of birds. The subject matter in itself is not entirely unique, but the manner of its treatment and the execution of the narrative is done most brilliantly. The story becomes a poignant, moving portrayal of a man's attempts to change the world for the better, and as is true of any major, large-scale change that always begins with a single individual, the consequent and seismic effect on the environment for the better. The non-fiction narrative is embellished with fictional recreation of the protagonist's life events that led him to where he is today, achieved by blurring lines between fiction and reality very smoothly. When coupled with sophisticated cinematography and elegant storytelling, the film becomes a beautiful product that will stay with the viewer, long after they're done interacting with it.

The Birdman | Short Film of the Day

Insightful, sharp and subtle are the three words that most aptly describe the documentary film and its subject matter. The execution is calm and exhibits a maturity that allows it to be an impactful product without demanding attention vociferously. The film engages with a needle exchange facility in California that also gives basic medical aid and assistance to those whose bodies have been affected by substance abuse. The narrative succeeds at being calm, yet deeply forceful in making its point simply because it does not strive for an overarching meaning for its existence, but instead tells its truth as it is. The subject is powerful, the story hard-hitting. The camerawork is simple, but precisely what this particular story needs. The images are chosen intelligently to allow the narrative to disconcert the viewer without being sensationally graphic. It further engages with health and survival with the right balance of being clinical and non-participatory, yet sensitive. Staying completely honest and sincere to a particular event or occurrence makes it all the more poignant and moving which is what The Clinic achieves most effortlessly. Through an objective representation of an aspect of the society we inhabit, it provides a meaningful narrative about life and existence.

The Clinic | Short Film of the Day

The documentary follows the lives of two siblings, Juliette and Howard, living on Isle de Jean Charles.The reason it is important to introduce the viewer to this particular island is because, owing to climate change and its disastrous effects on the environment, it is simply a sinking mass of land, declared to be in a state of emergency by the US state of Louisiana. The two teenagers are amongst those who are the first "climate refugees" of the country, to be relocated with their family as well as the other inhabitants of the island. It is through their story, one that hides an intense struggle underneath the surface of everyday, mundane activities, that the film invokes a powerful narrative. It succeeds especially for it manages to make the urgent concerns of climate change a deeply personal issue. It is no longer about faceless people in an unknown part of the world, instead it is about regular kids and their kin living in a neighbourhood probably no different from yours. The wonderful camerawork and the seamless edit allows it to be a story of childhood, memories of the past, growing up and everything else associated with the idea of home. While the siblings try to cling to their sense of familiarity and security, despite all the obstacles life has thrown their way, their safe harbour has been declared uninhabitable by the government, forcing them to leave it all behind. Yes, the film is poignant and deeply moving in the manner in which it shifts the anxieties surrounding a macro issue to a very micro level, but it is also so much more for it tells a story that is becoming increasingly relevant in contemporary times.

Lowland Kids | Short Film of the Day

The documentary has a difficult premise - the nexus of art and war. However it achieves the most brilliant execution for it because what is war if not simply a dance between soldiers and civilians (as the film itself goes ahead to portray in one of its sequences). Exit 12 is about a dance company of the same name founded and now run by people most intricately connected with different wars the US has been part of over the last few decades. From Vietnam to Iraq to Afghanistan, there is a glimpse into what they did to those who either fought in them at the front or participated as family members and loved ones of those who were in the line of fire. The dance sequences are weaved most effortlessly into the narrative. Other than being a display of exceptional skill and seamless visuals, they further succeed in delivering their bit of the story most poignantly. Using these, the film follows the experiences of three characters and how they use dance to make sense of their post-war reality. At the heart of the narrative is a moving question - when you are trained to kill, how do you come back and embrace your reality as a human? How does one reconcile the horrors of war with their day-to-day existence? Consequently, without spelling anything out explicitly, the film becomes an engagement with the post traumatic stress disorders veterans grapple with. Mental health and the desire to end one's own life find echoes for the viewer that are loud and clear. However, despite it all, there is a sense of hope and empowerment which is invoked at the idea of people coming together as a collective to share their experiences in an attempt to successfully assuage their pain. It is this idea of hope which finally ties the film together in a cohesive and comprehensive way allowing the intense emotional experience to be moving in a constructive manner.

Exit 12 | Short Film of the Day

Taking the viewer into the life of Mamadou K, the documentary maps his experiences and daily lived reality as an illegal immigrant in France. Having escaped a fate of violence following the murder of his father and brother, he seeks refuge and safety in the European country. The film is an insightful engagement with what it truly means to flee your homeland after finding yourself in mortal peril, and try to carve yourself a reality in a new, potentially unwelcoming land, where your mere existence is outside the ambit of legality. The subject in itself is a complex one, requiring an intelligent handling of its several nuances, to allow the narrative to be a well-balanced product. The film is a sincere, dedicated attempt to achieve the same, and succeeds in presenting to the viewer the story of Mamadou which is plagued by the memory of a family left behind, a sense of longing and separation, and a suggestion of the cost he may have had truly had to pay to save his life. In an exile where streets are lined with fake souvenirs of capitalism, where it takes the loss of friends and loved ones, along with an absolutely uncertain fate, to carry on living an unperturbed existence, even if fleetingly, the documentary conjures the fragility of an experience that is marked by an elemental disconcertment and the futility of human effort.

Djao - After The Road | Short Film Nominee

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.

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