Chik-Chirik

It's increasingly clear that the folks who nominate the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film endorse the traditional goals of animation -- humor and pathos -- and are less interested in the artistic, original, and thought-provoking. "Tweet Tweet" is all of these things, and though the Academy chose it as Highly Commended, I thought it was stronger that all but one of the nominees (Weekend). It's clear that walking the tightrope is a metaphor for living your life. There may or may not be references to Russian history, based on the transformations of the rope. It's not clear from a first viewing what the small bird symbolizes. But I suspect that the filmmakers knew exactly what they were doing and that this will reward multiple repeat viewings -- something you cannot say about Bao (the big favorite as I type) or most other acclaimed animated shorts.

A small bird flies into a clothes line, where it encounters a pair of feet. Over the years, it follows the feet as they grow up.

Fans of silent movies may know shorts like AMOR PEDESTRE, in which only the feet of the players are seen, as they go through their courtship and subsequent comedy. This animated short from Russia plays with the same idea. It is utterly charming, and amusing and chilling as the actress, whose feet we see, changes abruptly, again and again, as does the nature of the line she dances on, while the small bird chirps encouragingly.

It's all very symbolic, although if the symbols are meant to stand for anything specific -- the soul, the universe, a good friend -- I can't tell what it is. Sometimes we need to accept that something is charming and let it stand at that. A deep pool may be beautiful, but put your hand in it and its beauty vanishes. Take your hand out and the beauty will return.