Weekends

EDIT: I made a couple of factual mistakes that have been fixed, or should be fixed. Also, I fixed some incorrect phrasing. I'm sad this lost to Pixar, but whatever, it's still good on its own merits.

I just saw the 2019 Oscar Nominated Shorts last night -- both Live Action and Animated -- as is tradition for me. While the Live Action shorts were rather meh (both of the ones from Canada were beautiful, poignant, thought-provoking, and just as haunting; the one from the US was unnerving while also showcasing relevant political commentary and a surfeit of black humor; the rest of them were not so good), I was very impressed with the animated shorts this year. Usually, when I go to see these things, I'm more excited for the Live Action shorts because that's where most of the meat lies. Typically, the animated shorts are a fun diversion, but rarely do they engage me as much as this year's had. As much as I like Pixar, I swear, if they win again just because they have another cute short without a whole lot of substance, I'm going to pull my hair. If Weekends wins, however, I won't just be surprised, I'll be happy.

Weekends is a beautiful, harrowing look into the mind of a boy whose parents have split up. On the weekends, he visits his father, who drives him to Seattle while blasting Dire Straight's song Money For Nothing. While hanging out with his father is fun, it quickly becomes apparent why the boy's parents are no longer together. His father, an Asian-American, is big into Japanese Culture, spends long nights watching cheesy movies on the television while downing snacks, and wakes up early sometimes to play Video Games. Meanwhile, the kid's mother is a quiet, reserved person who slowly plays the piano every morning, studies accounting, and doesn't have a single television in sight, relying instead on the imagination of the kid to bring him fun and joy. In between his visits to and from Seattle are nightmares that grow increasingly surreal, disturbing, and bizarre.

Weekends uses the most of its simple set-up to deliver one of the most personal experiences I've ever seen from an animated short. Without using a single line of dialog, a single moment of text-on-screen, it tells its story in a way that respects the viewer's intelligence by allowing them to piece things together. It's very simplistic, but there's a certain mastery on display here that's hard to ignore.

It would be remiss of me to not also mention the excellent animation. While far from smooth, the stylistic approach not only fits with the short on a tonal level, but also helps draw the viewer in. It almost feels like a really good child's painting at times, one of the ones that holds up even into adulthood. It's unlike any of the other animated shorts and in a very delightful way.

Overall, this is my pick for this year's animated short. Seeing it in the theater was a magical experience and I can't wait to see what the guy who made this does next. If it's as good or any better than Weekends, then this is certainly someone to keep an eye on.

I have watched quite a few animations recently where they have been technically very good, but have offered me very little in the way of feelings. Weekends managed to be a fantastic break from that, as it has so much heart and realism to it that it is as far from experimental as you can get. However it is still very creative, and technically the animation is great. The film sees a young boy going between parents due to their divorce, and follows the state of turmoil and confusion he finds himself. I read it is a very personal film for the writer/director, and I can believe it because it is incredibly well observed in the detail of the situation.

Without any dialogue, it tells us a lot about the parents, about the conditions and feelings in both homes, and informs how the boy is stuck with it. The choice of music, the man-cave aspect of the father's new home, the walk of the pickup/dropoff all contain detail which add to the viewing experience and make for a better film. The dream sequences and the structure of the film convey the sense of being in the moment with the boy very well, so even if it is not something you have experienced, it is still very clear and easy to follow.

"Weekends" is an animated short film written and directed by Trevor Jimenez. It was nominated for an Oscar in 2018. While it lost to Oscar heavyweight, Pixar's "Bao," the film was both thought-provoking and realistic from my point-of-view, as a recently divorced dad, figuring out weekends with my three kids. Jimenez made the film through the co-op program at Pixar, which permits employees to use some company resources to make their own independent short films.

I feel like I can identify with both the father and mother depicted in the film. Despite the circumstances, the new reality of the divorced parent is still one of hope. There is hope beyond a divorce. Life changes, there are adjustments to be made, new work to be done when you move on to any new endeavor. But ultimately, there is hope.

I would recommend this film for divorced parents, but not necessarily for younger kids. The film is rated "R." There is a scene that implies domestic violence (not shown) between the divorced mother and a love interest leading to the end of that relationship. This can be both frightening and unsettling to kids. Some of surreal dream sequences of how the child perceives the events occurring around him are also disturbing.

"Weekends" was nominated for Best Animated Short, but like most of the time these days, this independent film lost out to a Disney or Pixar short (in this case, "Bao" by Pixar).

The story is told without words and a few times I felt confused as it wasn't always easy to tell what was happening (especially with the father at the end) and the film was incredibly somber...made more so by the lovely but depressing music by the French composer, Satie. The film consists of recollections by a child about being passed from parent to parent on weekends because of a divorce.

So is it any good? Well, I loved the hand-drawn animation....it was unique looking and very nice. As for the story, however, it just felt as if I needed more...more to understand what was occurring. It is not an easy film to love but it is well made.

The best animated short film of the 20th Animation Show of Shows. Simply put, this is the story of a young Asian boy who struggles with his parent's separation, and has to transition between being with his father on the weekends and his mother during the week. It is a fairly sad film, accompanied by Gymnipedie No.1 all throughout, but it has both its scary and comedic moments as well.

Stunning animation, beautiful music, and a relatable story, Weekends is a film that you should definitely find the time to watch, maybe this weekend?

Hoping this wins the 2018 Academy Award for Best Animation Short Film.