Retouches

Here's another inventive short animated film from the mind and hands of George Schwizgebel, a 65-year-old artist who has won a number of awards over the years. This animated short, "Retouches," won the 2009 award for "Best Animation" at the Swiss Film Prize.

It's described as a "series of passing motions to describe the fleeting moments of our lives," or something like that. It's just one design after another evolving into something else and, for much of it, is clever and mesmerizing.

I liked the beginning best in the windshield wipers and the winding road. One or two scenes go on a bit too long, such as the stick figure climbing the stairs, but most of it moves without a hitch. Even though there is no story, no dialog and no real message, I almost found myself getting depressed the last minute. I wonder if anyone else had that happen to the?

I watched this movie, from the National Film Board of Canada, on the Blu-Ray version of the DVD, "Animation Express."