My coverage of this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival continues with Adela Kaczmarek’s “Magda” and Nina Gantz’s “Wander to Wonder.” Using animation to tell their stories, both short films shed the light on the essence of survival and living. And while their themes wildly differ from each other, they nonetheless speak of the intrinsic and humanistic virtue to seek life, even (and especially) during the bleakest of times.
Here are a few thoughts on “Magda” and “Wander to Wonder.”
‘Magda’: A True Story of Making Difficult (but Right) Decisions
“Magda” sets the scene in the Tatra Mountains in Podhale, Poland, sometime in the winter of 1939. Its titular character, Magdalena Grodzka-Guzkowska, has just joined the Polish Resistance in efforts to disrupt Germany’s efforts in the Second World War. The Germans’ entry into Poland surprised everyone; in fact, no one expected the war. The invasion was swift; uprooting the Polish and assigning empty houses to them as their new residences. Just fourteen years of age, Magda proves herself useful by opening a small laundry service for the Germans so she could earn money when there was none.
One day, Magda learns that a group of 23 pilots urgently need to cross the border, as the Gestapo close in on them. She comes up with a risky plan: putting her skills in skiing to great use, Magda provides assistance with transporting intel, documents, and even fugitives through the backdoor — that is, across the mountains into Slovakia.
While the risk involved was her very life, Magda shrugs it off. As she says bluntly in the beginning of the film: thanks to her upbringing, “I didn’t have any difficulties with making choices.”
Gorgeous Animation Combines with Real-Life Clips to Tell a Gripping Story
Based on a true story by the incredible Grodzka-Guzkowska, “Magda” recounts its subject’s story of joining the Polish Resistance and helping Jews escape to the snowy hills of Slovakia as the Gestapo closes in. Director Kaczmarek blends gorgeous animation with interview clips of the real Magda in her old age; an approach that reminded me so much of Inna Sahakyan’s “Aurora’s Sunrise” for all the right reasons.
The sophistication of its animation ably complements its gripping storytelling, making this a very engaging short film. This, of course, means that probably its most glaring shortcoming is the runtime. For the life of me, it’s way too short. It could have taken the route of Sahakyan’s “Aurora’s Sunrise” given the breadth of history it could cover and expand upon. These include Magda taking part in the Warsaw Uprising, and her eventual honor as Righteous Among the Nations.
This could’ve been a feature length film — animation, documentary, or even a biographical film — and I’m in the belief that it would’ve worked either way…and better. For now, we’ll settle with a short film about a figure the world needs to know more about.
Grade: B
‘Wander to Wonder’ Examines Loneliness, Isolation, and Carrying On
Nina Gantz’s “Wander to Wonder” introduces us to Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton (voiced by Amanda Lawrence, Terence Dunn, and Toby Jones, respectively); three miniature human actors who star in a television program named ‘Wander to Wonder’. Set in the 1980s, the film takes the cues and references of the era by showing the appropriate aesthetics and making references a children’s show from the decade would do.
One day, while shooting for a normal episode, the show’s creator, Uncle Gilly (Neil Salvage), unexpectedly dies. While largely unaware of the repercussions of this unforeseen occurrence throughout the film, Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton try to continue with shooting the subsequent episodes. They read fan letters on camera and respond to them on Uncle Gilly’s behalf.
Left alone in the studio without any clue how to survive, the trio in essence wander to wonder how to carry on. Struggling to find enough to eat, they continue to make increasingly strange episodes for their fans. This culminates in a madness-driven scene where the hungry trio slowly lose their sanity and cause an accident to the whole studio.
Using Stop Motion Animation to Bring the Quirks — Which Works
At times silly and comedic and at times straight-up eerie, Gantz’s film features a seamless melding of live action (Salvage as Uncle Gilly) and stop-motion animation (the trio of miniature actors), which provides an extra layer of depth to the story. Their naivete with not knowing what to do aside from just video logging the rest of their lives is both funny and sad.
That final shot of the miniature actors looking in the same direction with utter uncertainty speaks volumes. Ultimately, this is a film about a man’s creation of a rich world that serves as his emotional cushion and comfort zone; yet also one that was born out of his loneliness and isolation.
And with the creator’s untimely demise, one can only hope that he has instilled in his creation the value of carrying on to continue living; and that they can do so by taking the first step out of the house and into the real world.
Grade: B+
Both “Magda” and “Wander to Wonder” screened at this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Follow us for more coverage.
