Me and My Moulton

"Me and My Moulton" is a Norwegian/Canadian production by Torill Kove. Kove previously won in this category with "The Danish Poet" and was also nominated for "My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts". Because of this, she might just be the favorite to repeat in this category because may of the Oscar folks are probably familiar with her work. Like her previous films, the animation itself is only fair but it works fine with the story--but the story abounds with a wonderful sense of humor and is exceptionally sweet. It also captures the spirit of what it is like to see the world through the eyes of the young. The film consists of the recollections of a little girl about her life growing up in Norway and it abounds with charm. I only rated it an A- due to the quality of the animation.

With art similar to the ones in the books for children, and a story that speaks to people of all ages, this animated short manages to tell a simple, yet profound story of a little girl and her two sisters growing up in Norway. This seems like a personal story, and it might be hard to directly relate to much that happens in it. It is a movie without any villains or much conflict. It slightly touches upon some heavier themes, but does not dwell on them. Is this a good thing? I am not sure.

In a way, the movie is about the compromises made between different generations, and how different the world and mind of an adult is to the one of a child. And it is explained in a way that a child will understand in one way, an adult will understand in two (having once been children).

I only give this a 6 because despite the positive things I said about it, I do not find the story relatable enough for it to stay with me. It's a book I close and never come back to.

Why is it that whenever a woman gets a chance to make a movie, it always has to be a sappy retelling of her own personal life? While male directors make thrillers and comedies and musicals and sci-fis about all sorts of strange characters; women only want to make movies about themselves, and whether you're watching the Oscar nominated shorts or a bunch of shorts from film students, it's always the same. Short movies made by women, are all about the director's own life stories.

This wouldn't have been a problem, had all female filmmakers lived spectacularly interesting lives, but sadly this is not the case, and time and time again I've had to sit through terrible films like this, where a woman tells her "fascinating" story, about the bicycle she had as a child. Another example of this, is the director's previous film called "My grandmother ironed the king's shorts". Well whopdidoo, how interesting. Please tell me more about what pieces of clothing your grandmother ironed.

You see the same trend amongst bloggers: Men blog about politics and technology and cars and all kinds of stuff. Women blog about themselves. The only difference between female bloggers and female filmmakers, is that bloggers aren't funded by the government, like all female filmmakers in Norway are. As the country is officially a feminist state, the law says that 50% of all film funds has to go to female film makers, which means 50% of all Norwegian movies are all the same "female stories" from women who cannot produce anything else than their own boring life on celluloid, because they think they're such special snowflakes.

And the funny thing is, if you ever meet these female directors and ask them how they got funding for their scripts (I've actually asked several) they always reply the same thing "Getting funding in Norway is so easy!" The reason for this is simply because there are very few women who want to make movies, yet the state has decided that 50% of all funds has to go to women, resulting in the same minuscule portion of Norwegian filmmakers constantly getting money to produce a constant stream of movies about their own boring lives.

Yuk!

'ME AND MY MOULTON': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A 14 minute Canadian-Norwegian animated short; which was just nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film (at the upcoming 87th Academy Awards). It was written and directed by Torill Kove and narrated by Andrea Braein Hovig. The short tells the story of a 7-year-old girl, growing up in Norway with two sisters, who also has somewhat odd and progressive architect parents. Her, and her sisters, dream of a bicycle of their very own; while also dealing with conflicting emotions for their parents (not understanding why they're so different from everyone else). The story is based on Kove's actual experiences at that age. I think the film does a great job of conveying the confusion of growing up; while having kind of a love-hate relationship with your parents. It's funny, beautifully odd and touching; all at the same time. One of the better 2015 Oscar nominated animated shorts.

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This 13 minutes animated short film is well deservedly nominated for an Academy Award. The film is fresh and vibrant and suitable for both children and grown ups. Told in a light and funny way, the story has a great punch. It even has a great message for those being parents in more than one way.

The drawn lines are crisp, the colors are vibrant and the storytelling is compelling. The freshness is best compared with the greatest animators, not to mention the best Chinese, however there's undoubtedly a clear Scccandinavian feel to the whole production.

A girl narratively tells about her upbringing as one of three daughters of a marriage between an architect and an interior architect, and the consequences this might lead to for those environmentally affected by this. The three sisters wishes for a bicycle, and eventually they are promised one. But it turns out differently than expected.

Director Torill Kove has done it again, after receiving Oscar for her last animated short movie about the Danish story teller H.C. Andersen. It wouldn't surprise many if this film turns up as a second winner for Kove. It's that good!