Pear Cider and Cigarettes

I just saw this 35-minute film at the movie theater, at a show featuring the nominees for the Oscars for Best Animated Short Subjects released in 2016 -- plus two that should have been.

This is not one of my favorites of the set. First, at 35 minutes, it hardly seems right to call it a short subject, Second, it tells its story by means of a voice-over narration. It falls into a class of cartoons that are called slightingly "Radio With Pictures." This means it could have been offered as an audio drama, on the radio back when they offered stories in that medium regularly, or as something to listen to on your car's audio system as you travel down the road.

This is not to denigrate the story. It's a very interesting story about a man who travels to China to keep an eye on an old friend, whose carousing life has nearly killed him, while he undergoes a liver transplant. It's simply that the visual elements are not of primary interest and could be dispensed with entirely.

It's an unusual addiction story in that very few addicts will have the resources that are available to the main character of this animated short. But we've heard the same addiction stories a million times, so it's an interesting and haunting voyage into territory most of us won't experience. I agree with other reviewers about its flaws but it is still very well done and very much worth watching unless you need absolute perfection in your audio/visual entertainment.

This short, animated documentary/drama is an amazing and deeply personal work of art. It is both beautiful and ugly, showing the struggles of such strong, adult topics as addiction, alcoholism, and death. Although it is at times a very difficult and emotional film to watch, there's still a surprising sense of humor that flows throughout.

It all plays out like a radio show or an audio book, there is no dialogue, just detailed and, at times, hilarious narration. It is told from the perspective of the filmmaker, as he recounts his relationship with his daredevil and at times criminal friend Techno, from their childhood life to his crippling future as an alcoholic to his unfortunate and young death.

Techno obviously wasn't the smartest or nicest guy in the world, but the film allows us to feel sympathy for him.

This is definitely among the leading contenders in the best animated short at the Oscars this year!

'PEAR CIDER AND CIGARETTES': Three Stars (Out of Five)

A 35-minute Oscar nominated animated short. This one is about a man's desperate attempts to save his troubled friend; by bringing him home to Vancouver, from a Chinese military hospital. The man has also known the friend since childhood, and he's sadly always known that he's been self destructive all of his life. The short was written and directed by Robert Valley; who's also directed such popular animated TV shows as 'AEON FLUX', 'TRON: UPRISING' and the recent 'WONDER WOMAN'. This is my least favorite of the 2017 Oscar nominated animated shorts (and I even liked it less than the 'Highly Commendable' animated shorts that were played with it in theaters). I like how dark it is, and it's very reminiscent of the director's other work, but it's also really depressing and boring. At 35- minutes it just goes on for way too long; the other Oscar nominated animated shorts were able to accomplish so much more, in a much shorter amount of time!

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Pear Cider and Cigarettes (2016)

*** (out of 4)

Out of the five Oscar-nominations for Best Animated Short, this one here clocks in the longest and it's certainly the most adult one. Robert narrates the story of his best friend, Techno, who is pretty much that wild child that most people have a friend like. It turns out that Techno's wild partying days have finally caught up with him and he needs a liver transplant, which takes the two friends to China.

This here certainly isn't the best short from the five selections but it's an entertaining one. The film clocks in at 35-minutes, which is pretty much longer than the other four combined but it's got some very good images throughout and I thought the story itself was totally captivating. There's no question that once you started watching the picture that director-writer Robert Valley managed to hold your attention and as the film plays on you really start to wonder and care about the Techno character.