Negative Space

As we venture through the years, how much that we do is important? The relationship a son has with his absentee father occasionally comes back to how to pack a suitcase, how to get the most out of the space we have. I felt truly sad at the conclusion of this film. What have we done to take what little we have?

'NEGATIVE SPACE': Four Stars (Out of Five)

A 5-minute animated short film about a young boy, named Sam, who's always away from his dad, due to the busy parent's frequent business trips. The father is still able to keep a relationship with his son though, by teaching the boy how to pack a suitcase. This short was directed by Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata. I found it to be simple, but quirky and interesting enough (in a very odd way). The animation has a lot of character to it, and so does the film. It's even a little touching, and funny as well (in some places). I can definitely see why the Academy likes it.

A film about relation son-father. Simple, touching, cold, precise. In same measure, a diagnosis about everyday relations from near reality and a portrait of the love in special form. For a boy- a great movie. For the subtle way to translate in image profound, defining truths. A boy, a too busy father, a suitcase and the funeral of the parent. A terrible, poetic last observation of the son. And the image of car-zipper on a huge suitcase as reflection of wise manner to give a profound message.

"Look at all that wasted space, look at all that wasted Time" One of the best Father Son Stories ever made even if it's only a 5 min Short Film, The level of creativity is stunning.

How do fathers and sons connect? Is it by playing games? By hugging? To this day, I'm not sure how my father and I ever did it, although we did.... I'd like to think so, anyway. I know after I spoke at my father's memorial service (and my brother didn't), he smiled and said "That's who he was to you." In this animated short, a father and son connect by the father, a traveling salesman, teaching his son how to do something very important to him: pack a suitcase well.

The piece is a trifle about trifles, yet anyone who has ever cared deeply about another individual will tell you that it's not the big things that matter, but the trifles that no one else notices that gets you through, the secrets out in the open. I'm not certain how much the visual choices add to this short -- animating it as a computer-derived claymation piece is odd. The choices don't really have time to affect the impact, as it is short enough to maintain its impact.