Road to the Oscars 2023. This short is nominated for 1 Oscar and it´s animated short of course. I don´t see this as anything that special. It´s a very artistic short so maybe it spoke to you more than me. I understand and see the appeal, but after watching it I felt like noting in particular was said and happened and I felt no reason to watch this again.
A sailor caught in an explosion see his life flash before his eyes.
The score is really good here. It´s moving and uses the piano well, although I feel like every single short film dose that. Not to make the score sound worse but I think the soft piano has been done so many times it feels like it´s own trope now.
I liked the clashing art styles and especially the beginning. I found some part of it to be art styles not for me like the way the sailor is drawn but that´s a taste thing.
It´s a short that hits the balance between fun and cartoony and contrasts it with seriousness. The opening and the start of the explosion really sets the tone and uses the medium of animation to its advantage to really subvert expectations.
It´s a short about what happens before we die. Allegedly you see your life flash before you and that´s what we see here. It´s not clear cut or anything, the sailor is seeing small glimpses of his life and nothing that coherent. It works wonders but creates this weird feeling movie without much form. But I guess that's the point. How do you make a life flash before someone without making it weird? It´s a really artistic interpretation first and a movie with any substance second. Personally, this didn't speak to me, but maybe it´ll speak to you. I see the artistic craftmanship here as well done, but it doesn't resonate with me in any way.
Overall, I see the short as entertaining enough, but without saying much. It´s capturing a moment in a beautiful way and uses both music and animation to its advantage, but other than that, it´s nothing too special too me.
Oscar predictions: I haven't seen the other animated shorts yet, but if this is winning it must have been a dull year for animated shorts. It wouldn't make me mad, but just make me shrug.
