Small Garden

There is a narrative in here about a sort of afterlife or spiritual realm where the main character finds themselves and then sets out to explore, although this is not a film that really spends a lot of effort to inform the viewer of all the detail of what they are watching; some clarity comes towards the end – or relative clarity at least, but generally speaking it is more about the journey than the narrative.

As such it is beautifully done, and so well delivered that the lack of understanding of quite what is going on, tends to matter a lot less because of how caught up the viewer gets in the place and how the place appears to work. Although the animation is where the film really delivers, this is not to understate the imagination and creativity behind the images. I have watched a couple of times now simply because the flowing ecosystem of souls, rebirth, creatures and such all fascinates me with how they were created and how they seem to make a sort of beautiful sense in the context of the short. The animation to deliver upon this imagination is also very impressive, and it has a range of styles and looks through the short, with it all fitting together and being appealing, if not always attractive in terms of what we are seeing.

I can see the lack of narrative being a problem for some, because for me it was a bit of a weakness, but not much of one compared to what it delivers; it is a beautiful creation that moves well and engages with the imagination behind it.