The Lady and the Reaper (La dama y la muerte)

I have been going to the special showings of the Oscar-nominated shorts for the last several years and I have learned one important thing--if I love an animated short, it's bound to lose. This isn't the case with the live-action ones, but I have the uncanny ability to pick which one I think should win and get it wrong every time! Sadly for THE OLD LADY AND THE REAPER, I loved it and felt it should win the Oscar--a true curse if I've ever heard one! I think, while it's not my first favorite, that LOGORAMA will actually take the Oscar, as it's more creative and visually stunning. Plus, the Oscar people (technically, the members of AMPAS) don't seem to like the morbid little comedies--as my favorites for 2008 and 2009 were also about death (wow,,,that says a lot about me, huh?).

THE OLD LADY AND THE REAPER is a Spanish movie but when I saw it, the film was in English. IMDb also says it's an English language film, though with its Spanish title I assume that there must be a Spanish language one out there somewhere. If you find it, let me know--I'd like to see that as well.

The film is a comedy about a power struggle between the Grim Reaper and a hot-shot doctor who plays God and keeps resuscitating a dead lady. As for the lady, she's quite old and very prepared to die--and just wishes that this jerk would let her go! It's all very, very goofy and is sure to make you laugh--particularly the cute way it portrays the Reaper as well as his three-headed Poodle! Clever, funny and manically paced--this is a hilarious film and the theater was filled with laughter from start to finish. Too bad it probably won't win.

Update (3/7/10)--I was correct, "Logorama" took the Oscar. It just goes to show that my instinct was correct but I still enjoyed "La Dama y La Muerte" better. See both films and do yourself a favor.

Sounds interesting. But, it's not. It all just about gags. I am not a big fan of gags (Unless Bustor Keaton or Harold Lloyd does that).

The animation is good. The starting moments are picture esque. Ending scene is truly brilliant. Very few films get such little moments right, and it does that just perfectly. Despite being an animation, it captures the women's expressions precisely.

Having spent a good deal of time studying right to die legislation, films like this give us a look at the cruelty sometimes associated with heroic measures to revive people. Often it is against their wishes and involves frightening technology. Here, a very old woman, longs to be reunited (in death) with her loving husband. Just as she is about to pass, she is hit with paddles. No one can blame the doctors, but often there is a time for such things. A really funny, but also, tragic, film.

An elderly lady lives in her windmill where she clearly misses her late husband. One night, though, it's scheduled to be her last and it is time for her to go and join him - assuming, of course, that the Grim Reaper is up for allowing a reunion. Wait! False alarm! Medical science is trying to intervene... It's now a competition between the scythe of doom and the cardiogram. A momentous tug of war ensues. Who will win? Probably more importantly, what are they actually fighting for and did anyone remember to ask the widow what she wanted in the event that she could choose! There's no dialogue to speak of, and the score veers close to "Mission Impossible" territory as this fun mixture of animation styles lets us witness the amiable battle royal play out. It really is well worth ten minutes of your time.

This Oscar nominated animated short is about the fight between a reaper and a doctor for the life of an old lady.

In just a space of 7 minutes of actual story, it manages to pack a touching scene and numerous totally hilarious chases. The plot is effectively presented without the use of any dialogs. The initial scene is powerful, and I feel sorry for the old lady at once even it is just a minute into the short. The rest of the animation is so imaginative, every second of it is so much fun. The fast pace and crispy delivery of the plot ensures there is something going on every second of the animation. It's hard to make a short film so entertaining, but "The Lady and the Reaper" is wildly successful in doing so. "The Lady and the Reaper" is unexpectedly fun and entertaining. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to others.