I have seen a couple of short film recently where the subject was the idea of friends drifting apart; for example We Were Awesome does it with two people just geographically not convenient anymore, while Junkyard did it with much more dramatic and detailed flashbacks. With Left we fall somewhere in the middle. We see Joe preparing to go somewhere while at the same time we get flashbacks to his time with childhood friend Neill, through fun times, adventures, divisions when a girl comes on the scene and also the ultimate bad path that Neill goes down.
It plays out in a way that is engaging and quite touching in its simplicity and honesty. The structure and the plot perhaps didn't always flow particularly well and there are some aspects where you have to assume more than we're probably able to assume, likewise some of the events even at odds with the rather muted delivery – and perhaps less extreme examples of the diverging paths could have worked just as well. Minor quibbles perhaps, because it does all work well for what it is. The animation has a simplicity that matches the tone of the film, although it also manages to be engaging and impressive. The backgrounds tend to be one color, while the characters are simple in their construct, but it works well with a unique style and feel to it that I liked.
This is the second short film I have seen from O'Neill, both of them good and additionally impressive as they represent the work of a student – supposedly still learning his craft. I have some quibbles with Left, but there is enough here to more than make me keen to see what else he does in the future.
