Zima Blue

I've decided to review each of the short films that make up this series individually.

I really liked this one. Zima Blue is about a legendary but reclusive artist who has enhanced his body with the use of robotics to extend his life. Ahead of the release of what will be his final work, he grants access to a journalist and recounts his life story to her.

The animation was a stylised pen and ink type drawings to create a more traditional Saturday morning cartoon type affair, though the episodes lofty, esoteric story extolling that in art, and in life, sometimes it's better to strip everything away and get back to basics. That happiness can lie in simplicity. In a series that too often has utilised nudity and gore to distract from its emptiness, it's astounding that one so philosophically profound would exist alongside them.

As someone who is having a hard time, this episode gave me a new perspective

'Zima Blue (2019)' is clearly the most unique short featured in 'Love, Death + Robots (2019)'. It centres on an elusive artist trying to capture his essence, via a specific shade of blue, on an increasingly large canvas. It's a simple idea, yet it's shrouded in an enigmatic atmosphere and is oddly compelling. In the end, it's even somewhat profound. It feels like the most mature piece in its anthology, despite being the most 'kid-friendly'. It may not be the most exciting, but it's probably the most engaging. Its calm voice-work and distinct aesthetic are real highlights, too. It's a fantastic effort. 8/10

The most outstanding episode of the season, at first I was not comfortable with the strange face of the girl, and then I found the art was wonderful too. And the way it tell this crazy story which is very thought provoking, I like it a lot, it talks about where we came from, what we will became, and we will recognize ourselves. No matter how far we will go, we will be back to the most essential and most basic part of the universe, which is actually a good ending. Brilliant. 10/10

This 10 minute episode shows us that a simple premise, perfectly executed, can be a thing of profound beauty and fulfillment.

And this statement stands as much for this episode as it does for the meaning of the story itself.

Incredible.