Vagues '98

Greetings again from the darkness. With a prestigious award from Cannes, filmmaker Ely Dagher probably had hopes for an Oscar nomination in the animated short film category. The nomination didn't happen, but that doesn't diminish the fine work from the Beirut-born director, who also uses splashes of news reel footage to contrast with the animation.

A teenager in suburban post-war Beirut has become disillusioned with his days of school and mundane home life. He spends hours on a rooftop gazing at downtown Beirut and a world so close, of which he knows so little. One day he is drawn to the unfamiliar urban landscape by a light emanating from the tall buildings ... a light encouraging the younger generation to cross the bitter lines of division that have been wrecking the city.

He soon enters a world of imagination and serenity, and finds his bond to his real life slipping away. It's a reminder that change only occurs with action, not merely dreams of a better world. The recurring theme and the block in his mind are presented to us by these two lines: "I'm tired of hearing the same story over and over again"; and "It feels like everything is stuck." These feelings are not uncommon in teenagers all over the globe, but especially poignant given this setting.

I saw this short animation like a confesion . Or precise slice from near reality. A young man looking for something out of everz daz ordinarz routine. The city, the people, the young people obn beach, the golden elephant - inspired metaphor and the sea as escape.

A game of director with audience experiences and memories, in fine, honest, clever manner.

Because all is more than familiar and provocative and well crafted.

Because you feel it as story inside yourself.

The result- precise portrait of youth, from frustrations to the desire to change the world or to escape from its womb.

And a beautiful film, not last grace to drawings and real images clash.