A Single Life

The title of the song is the title of this little film. A girl, possibly a teenager, gets a package containing a phonograph record. Depending where the tone arm is placed, it becomes a part of her life. She goes from herself, to her older self, to being a little girl. The idea is quite clever and works very well.

A lovely idea. And its brilliant use. A woman, a gift, a pizza, a phonograph and a travel unique in all senses. The source of seduction of this short animation - the delicate feeling to be about yourself.

A Single Live, the Netherlands' contribution to the Oscars this year, is the shortest Oscar nominated short film, clocking in at two minutes and length, and unfortunately, that's just a little bit too small to get this short film off the ground. Animated with a pleasant mix of what looks to be stop motion animation and computer animation, the short concerns a woman who finds her record player has the ability to transport her to different moments in her life, all the way from her infancy to her older years. By the time one figures out how this mystery works, the short is already over, and while it features a unique premise, its concision makes for an experience that's slightly forgettable.

Directed by: Joris Oprins.

"A Single Life" is the most enjoyable of the shorts by far. It's a weird story about a cutely animated girl whose record player acts much like a time machine--and she finds that she can travel back and forth in time with this machine. You'll really have to see this one for yourself to understand what I mean. However, at only 2 minutes in length, it's hard to imagine it taking the Oscar. Fortunately, the ending is quite dark and quite funny and I heard many in the audience laugh during this film. I think this Dutch film by Marieke Blaauw, Joris Oprins, Job Roggeveen has little chance to win, but it did make me laugh as well. I certainly would love to see more from these folks, as they have a real knack for CGI and humor.

A young woman finds a record and plays it on her phonograph. It skips -- and her life skips to that point in time.

There's little to this Oscar-nominated short but those details -- other than a "Back to the Future" reference if you look very closely. Nonetheless and because of its short length -- it's three minutes if you include the credits -- its subtext warning the audience not to be too impatient, to be willing to enjoy the moment rather than skipping to the next, stands out. As does its wry humor.

I doubt this will win the best animated short Oscar -- those usually go to something a bit more pompous. However, if you haven't seen this already, it's worth your time to look at.