The Dam Keeper

'THE DAM KEEPER': Four Stars (Out of Five)

An 18 minute animated short; which was nominated for an Academy Award, for Best Animated Short Film, at the upcoming 87th Academy Awards. It was written and directed by Robert Kondo and Daisuke 'Dice' Tsutsumi and it's narrated by Lars Mikkelsen. The film tells the story of a future world of animals, that rely on a pig to constantly operate a large windmill dam; in order to keep dangerous pollution out. The pig is an outsider, who's constantly bullied by other animals at school. That changes when a new student comes to town; a friendly fox that befriends him. Things suddenly go really well for the pig, until he feels unexpectedly betrayed. The short is very dark and kind of frightening for kids; I know my eight-year old nephew thought it was pretty scary (but he also loved it). I could really relate to how harassed and somewhat alone the pig felt, due to the constant bullying. I think this is one of the stronger 2015 Oscar nominated animated shorts; because of it's relatability to kids. It's also really well made and bizarrely interesting!

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The Dam Keeper is a beautiful hand-made oil-painted animated longish short film that touches on very sad themes: loneliness, bullying and social exclusion. It speaks of the importance of humour and creativity to overcome the harshness of life, and is a reminder that unfunded fears take us to places we should never go as they have not doors for those people who want to get near us to enter.

The dam in the film is a not of water, if of dark clouds, pollution and darkness overall. A metaphor for the darkness that we all keep away every day, even though is there, around the corner. It is also about social darkness, because that is what most hurts the piggy, not the polluted air around; you can learn to control that, but to learn to deal with social exclusion and darkness is something that you learn the hard way if ever learned.

The film is very charming, very emotional and touching, greatly enhanced by a fantastic music score, and the wonderful non-invasive narration by Lars Mikkelsen. The textures and colors of the film, and its painterly nature help to create a timeless piece of animation.

To me, the main fault of the film is that we don't get to know why every single child in the school bullies the piggy and every adult ignores an orphan. It seems unrealistic and something that I want to believe rarely happens, especially if you are the person who keeps the community safe. It seems not to make sense, to me.

Overall, a wonderful animated film.

It is a precious portrait of the near other. It is admirable portrait of appearences, and modesty and friendship and little heroes. And it is example of beautiful drawings, seductive storytelling, great portrait of school life and about a fundamental duty , unknown by many but giving its huge significance in the context of a form of revenge. It is a splendid friendship portrait. So, just precious.

The Dam Keeper is my choice for the best of the animated shorts and I think the quality difference between this and the rest of the films is pretty obvious. Like The Bigger Picture, this one has the look of a painting--which is quite unusual for an animated film. But the paintings are of a much higher quality and there is an amazing artistry that set this one apart---it just looks great. While the style isn't quite as lush as Petrov's style (but whose is?!), it is gorgeous and the filmmakers, Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi, used over 8000 paintings to make this short film. The story is very sentimental and sweet--and not in way that is cloying or over the top. It left me feeling satisfied and I love the website for the film (https://www.thedamkeeper.com/) and it's nearly as creative as the film itself.

UPDATE: This film lost to the Disney short. Perhaps it might sound snarky, but I assume many of the folks who voted for these films probably didn't see them all---and "Feast" was the only one that had widespread release (with "Big Hero 6"). That's the only way I could explain "The Dam Keeper" not winning.

This film is a rare and wonderful gem that stays with you for days after viewing. Visually, it resembles a series of beautiful watercolors, with the animation having an almost a stop-motion quality to it. Though the story is told (nearly) without words, it's accompanied by a moving score and the familiar sounds of children's laughter and crying.

The titular hero--a steadfast little pig--is adorable and sweet-natured. His daily torment and isolation at school are heartbreaking to watch. He's clearly deprived of the love and appreciation he deserves, and you wish you could reach through the screen to comfort and protect him. Be warned--as beautiful as this film is, it's also bound to evoke some of your ugliest childhood memories, whether you ever were on the giving or receiving end of bullying, or simply stayed silent on the sidelines as it happened.

Growing up, many of us built our own "dams" to cope with the darkness of teasing, bullying, and loneliness. When the dams broke, having someone there on the other side--a friend, parent, teacher, anyone--could make all the difference. To me, this is the core message of the film. If you have young children that are just starting school, consider watching and discussing with them.