Wild Life

I liked the brush-stroke style of animation here as we follow a rather naive young Englishman as he leaves the comforts of his upper-class existence and emigrates to Calgary. Now in 1909, that was little more than an hamlet but he has plenty of (parental) cash, so secures a 90-acre spread equipped with a pond and a shack. He's happy enough - though perhaps not as adventurous as he declares to his folks in his letters. With the harsh winter approaching, though, loneliness begins to set in and then... Simultaneously, we have a sequence of inter titles that describe to us something of the life of a comet. It's time near the brightness of the sun before it's journey takes it beyond the orbit of Pluto. Analogous? The narrative pokes a little fun at all things English (even the Scots get their dig in) and is quite amiable. I've only ever been into the north of Canada once - to a British Army Arctic training facility. The bitter cold and the darkness of the winter months is almost claustrophobic - and that was with double glazing and central heating. Brrr!

Two basic virtues : the drawings and the realism of story. The story of a young man interested by adventurous life, going to Calgary from England in a mix of romantic idealism and need to build his life in personal way. The reality is far to be sunny , the relations with members of comunity just wrong- he remains the bizarre stranger - , the skills of survive are missing in this case.

The only consolation - the letters to home, The lines are the same expression of love of many immigrants , offering happy image of their situation as a sort of good news and self encouragement.

But the winter changes everything.

The end is precise more than sad.

So, just an admirable short film.

Last night I went to a screening of all of the Oscar shorts at a theater and was impressed with the wide variety of films. It seems that some people, like the reviewer above, thinks that because "wild life" is both short and animated it should be light and comical, like most of the Oscar- nominated short films. "Wild Life" is not light but it's also not too dark and the animation is beautiful and even historically-based....The directors spent over 7 years making the film and many of the ideas for the film came from reading historical works about other travelers in the wild west during this time. Of all of the Oscar shorts that I watched last night at the theater, two stuck out: "La Luna" and "Wild Life." Both are interesting, incredible visually and completely different in style. That's what film awards are all about, right? Presenting something new and interesting? Don't read the review above because (1) It will give away some of the plot (2) You might like "Wild Life," as I did immensely, if you give it a chance.