Konstantin Bronzit's We Can't Live Without Cosmos is a heartbreaking short film, so much so that you might even chuckle when your eyes well with tears when you realize you're tearing up about characters you've known for only fourteen minutes. That's the power of the animation medium; at times, it has the ability to soften the look of reality, but often, mostly in contemporary times, doesn't lessen the blow of reality or the truly real struggles we face in life. We Can't Live Without Cosmos is a short with a core idea about friendship and its unfathomable, and in this case, literal power that transcends time and universes.
The short revolves around two unnamed astronauts, who do everything together; their playful relationship involving a great deal of touching and personal interaction even suggests they could be a couple. In fact, they're just tight-knit friends, who were raised in the crib together and went on to be astronauts in the same training facility. Due to their strong physical capabilities, the men, one code-named 1203 and the other 1204, are picked to go into space, with 1203 actually granted with the opportunity to go up into space and 1204 to sit in mission control as his assistant. What entails is a real showcase for the power of their friendship.
I'm a huge fan of the animation style Bronzit and his team of animators chose to work with here. It's simplistic, traditional animation, most likely hand-drawn, but is dramatically enhanced in sharpness and color, most likely with the use of computer technology. Consider the overhead shot of the astronauts in training swimming, each in their respective lane, with impeccable symmetry, vibrant ocean-blue colors, and verticality overtaking the screen in a strong way. This kind of animation only emphasizes light and darkness because, thanks to the illuminating color palette, we get a strong sense of the textured environment.
We Can't Live Without Cosmos reminds us one thing, at the end, and it's keep your friends close, and maybe in the end, they'll keep you closer, as well.
