The Burden

I saw The Burden in Annecy this summer, and have been thinking about it since. This is an animated musical that don't look like anything else. So unique and fresh that I first didn't know how to react.

It's sad but funny, weird but universal, intellectual but emotional, tragic but still uplifting. And then all the detailed craft behind the sets of and puppet animals, as well as the beautiful music - it makes you wanna see it over and over again. The fishes, the stepping mice, the apocalyptic ending...

There are elements of big names like David Lynch, Roy Andersson, Lars von Trier and Wes Anderson - but basically this Swedish short is so original that it's hard to describe – you have to see it. For me, it's by far the best and most interesting short film of 2017.

Besides the amazing animation, the humor is really cute and unique. Everyone was laughing in the theater. I love how it portraits life with silliness and also sarcastically point out that all our worries and suffers are just tiny silly things in the big universe and nothing really matters. "Long time... long time". The song just stuck in my head now Love it!

This Swedish film defies my explaining it...you really have to see it. The story (such as it is) consists of vignettes where some ultra-creepy characters (such as bald rats and monkey telemarketers) begin singing and dancing about through the magic of stop-motion. While at first very striking, soon the novelty wears off and what you have is an incredibly dull and brain-numbing film. Is there a point to all this? I doubt it...but some of the folks at the film festival where I saw it laughed. As for me, since there really was no plot and the singing was incomprehensible, it just felt like a tedious and pointless film. Sorry to sound so negative....I just didn't enjoy it nor did I see much reason to recommend it.

Fishes, mouses, monkeys, a dog. Fishes again. A hotel, a fast food, a call center, a supermarket. And the French tradition of musical.

The basic virtue of this seductive short animation remains its high realism.

You know the story because you live it.

You love the irony, imppecable used.

The apocaliptic atmosphere, is it real far by yourself ? I suppose not exactly.

So, this short animation, delightful in profound sense, has the virtue to be just inspired cut slice from near reality.

And this makes it just great because it is just admirable , fair and precise reflection of the your world, in some, large measure..

I went to an animation conference and Niki was the first speaker, and the only one that interested me, although I was unaware of her work at the time.... I've now watched The Burden 5 times in 3 days and am very enchanted. I marked it 10 stars although that was a bit generous.

A friend whose opinions I trust absolutely hated it.

However as a piece of animation to tell the story of how disassociated those of us who have worked in minimum wage dystopia can feel, I don't think there is any equivalent...we are just endlessly floating around on the third rock from the sun and occasionally enjoying life, I instances such as this little film.

Niki claimed that the budget for this film should have been 150,000 euros but she only had 75,000...

If you have ever been paid minimum wage in a soulless job, you may not want to see it writ large on a screen by stop frame animated animals, however I can fully understand why the various film festivals around the world were so entranced....well worth your time.