Fyodor Khitruk to me was one of Russia's finest animation directors (evident from the Winnie the Pooh films and 'The Lion and the Bull'), he also contributed heavily to some of Soyuzmultfilm's best work as an animator. Am a fan of Soyzmultfilm and consider their output remarkably consistent, only faltering with their more political efforts. They were at their best in the 1950s and 1960s with their fairytale/folktale adaptations and in their classical music oriented efforts, but were still doing some fine work in the 1970s.
1973's 'The Island' is Khitruk's most famous short film (or should we say overall work), and as wonderful as 1984's 'The Lion and the Bull' is this is even better and even more powerful. Khitruk did a lot of fantastic work, and 'The Island' is one of his finest and most interesting. As far as Soyuzmutfilm's 1970s output goes, this is among my favourites. It is an exceptionally well done and emotionally impactful short that provokes a lot of thought afterwards, even with the subject it has not dated too much.
'The Island' succeeds in every area. The animation is truly delightful and does such a lot in telling the story. The visuals often speak louder than words and in a way that is suitably uncompromising (not inappropriate considering the subject). The sound is suitably haunting without being over-bearing.
Also found the titular character very engaging and rootable in a very difficult scenario. One that is very powerfully depicted, not holding back on the increasing sense of dread but surprisingly not being heavy handed. Which is not always the case with political satires or anything politically related, too many of Soyuzmultfilm's political efforts (or Russia's) also came over as thirty years out of date. Not the case here.
Satire itself is very on the nose, which may not sit comfortably with all, but it is of the razor sharp, hard hitting and thoughtful kind. It is also a lot more accessible than the very adult subject suggests. The story doesn't move too fast while also not being over-deliberate, the increasing tension in the conflict is done extremely well. The bittersweet ending is very poignant and the writing didn't feel too wordy to me,
In conclusion, wonderful. 10/10.
