My ne mozhem zhit bez kosmosa

'WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT COSMOS': Four Stars (Out of Five)

A 16 minute Russian animated short film; about two best friends, that become cosmonauts together, and attempt to live out their life dreams (in space). Things don't go exactly as planned, when something goes drastically wrong. The short was written and directed by Konstantin Bronzit, and it was produced by Alexander Boyarsky. It's my second favorite, of this year's Academy Award nominated animated short films. I like it's humor, and it's humanity; and it tells a great story, about space and friendship, without any dialogue. I'd say this short film, is superior to 'THE MARTIAN'!

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This Russian film is thoroughly enjoyable and done with traditional hand-drawn animation--something too often overlooked in this era of CGI. Like "Bear Story" it's told without words, so it can be enjoyed by anyone who likes a good cartoon.

This short is a homage to the Russian cosmonauts who bravely risked their lives in the exploration of space. It specifically focuses on two best friends who work hard and are at the top of their class in the cosmonaut training school. However, as is the case with many of the real-life Russian space explorers, the story is a bit sad...and appropriately so. The ending, however, left me a bit flat.

I strongly doubt if this animated short will win the Oscar, though it is among the nominated films for Best Animated Short. I'll update my review once I learn who has won this prestigious award.

UPDATE: "Bear Story" won the Oscar in this category.

The mystifying "My ne mozhem zhit' bez kosmosa" ("We Can't Live Without Cosmos" in English) is about two friends in training to be astronauts. I interpreted the Oscar-nominated short as a look at how one's career - and what happens to relationships because of it - can affect one's life. Like most animated shorts, it probably won't get seen by the majority of the public, but I recommend it. Containing no dialogue, it begs the question of whether great achievements are more important than friendship.

I've also seen "Bear Story", which one the Academy Award for Best Animated Short that year. Both shorts are worth seeing. I don't know that I would call one better than the other. In the meantime, do make an effort to see this one.

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.

We Can't Live Without Cosmos (2014)

*** (out of 4)

This Russian film was nominated for a Best Animated Short Oscar and it's easy to see why as director Konstantin Bronzit doesn't use a word of dialogue and instead lets his two characters and animation tell the story. The story is quite simple as two best friends grow up in hopes of becoming cosmonauts and will do everything together in order to get their dreams.

WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT COSMOS is a pretty good short that manages to have quite a bit of imagination going in it. I really loved the fact that this was an old-fashioned animation that used hand drawing. In a world full of CGI sometimes it's good to just go back to the old school stuff. For the most part the film moved extremely well and there's no question that it's well-made and looks terrific.