The 25th Tribeca Festival has had New York City buzzing this week, and on only the 5th day of the festival, there were are plenty of contenders. With several buzz-worthy films (such as Zach Woods’ “The Accompanist” and Katie Holmes’ world premiere of “Happy Hours”), downtown New York has had its share of celebrities, debut filmmakers, and attendees.
But any film festival is incomplete without its shorts program, and Tribeca 25 is no exception. Two animated short films premiered on June 6th, with the option for repeat viewing on June 13th. Those are “Saba,” by director and creator Liron Topaz and “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe!” by director Andrea Szelesová. Both films offer food for thought — amidst stellar animation — that leave powerful feelings in their wake. And at less than 15 minutes each, that’s a high compliment.
*Festival information for both films follows at the bottom of article.
‘Saba’
“Saba,” an animated short by Liron Topaz, is a sweet, gentle adventure of love, loss, and longing. At less than 10 minutes in length it has all the elements of a feature film, or maybe dream. Mostly wordless — save the word ‘Saba’ — it has all the components that make animation a fantastic medium and draws the viewer in effortlessly. The special effects and music make the film seem otherworldly, and the concept devised by Topaz is fantastical. Legitimately. A young boy and his grandfather pass time on a boat (days, weeks, years?) and the film ends in a subdued and forlorn way that pays honor to grief and sadness along with hope and remembrance. And under it all it’s an emotional film that somehow pulls at your heartstrings in a short span of time.
The effects done by Dakota Smith and Olivier Malric and the animation team are remarkable. “Saba” takes place in a world (or place) where gravity is reversed. Yet the visuals are both reminiscent of outline drawings and full, fleshed out worlds. I thought immediately of “Where the Wild Things Are” (the book) while being pulled mentally towards old Mickey Mouse cartoons. An old man sits on a boat that answers for a house; an armchair moves slightly upwards towards the sky until he sits in it.
This is Saba, the grandfather, and a young boy sits on his lap as he first pulls the lever on the armchair to lean back. Then we watch in wonder as the lever detaches and becomes a fishing pole. The line travels upwards, towards an unseen sea that is above his head, not below. We, the viewers, feels as effected by anti-gravity as does Saba and his grandson. A series of ropes (or anchors) stretch beneath the boat. What they attach to and how the hold the boat steady remains a mystery.
“Saba” is a great short, because in such a minuscule span of time we understand the relationship between Saba and the grandson, traveling their adventure with them. Smith and Malric (and of course director Topaz) come up with some amazing concepts, mostly the upside down gravity and how real it feels. At one point a torrential downpour starts — from the bottom up — and Saba deploys (or the boat itself does) a series of umbrellas to block the torrent.
The colorization is almost a tannish-gold mixed with black. Yet the whole things seems bright and inviting. The original soundtrack by Daniel Markovich is suable and soothing — even towards the film’s sadder parts as the grandson grows and tries to remember his grandfather. The film’s end drifts somewhat towards melancholy, yet never goes to excessive heights. My interpretation was Saba died and his grandson tries to access his memory — albeit fleetingly. But it’s open to analysis. The ways we connect with lost loved ones is always nuanced, and Topaz and team do a great job exploring it.
All-in-all, “Saba” is a great film. Liron Topaz is known for his animation work on films such as “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “Alice in Wonderland.” Yet with this intimate project, Topaz allows us to wade alongside the film’s young boy as he seeks one last moment with his grandfather. It’s a great addition to Tribeca Festival and one that I hope does well in the future.
Grade B+
‘Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe!’
From director Andrea Szelesová, “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe!” is a complementary animated short to watch alongside “Saba.” Whereas the former dealt with familial love and loss, this film deals with acceptance, differences, and fitting in. But it also includes more, such as insight into themes such as not all differences are bad and how to find the most important acceptance of all — self acceptance. The film accomplishes this with a fantastical concept, otherworldly characters, and superb animation. Like “Saba,” “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe!” uses its animation well, basking in the possibilities of the medium and exploring it fervently.
The plot of the animated film — at less than 15 minutes — centers on a young, mythical boy named Yios whose head shines like the sun. As does his father’s, who whisks off at the film’s beginning to switch the sun and the moon, which I gathered was his job. He leaves his son behind on the cloud island that serves as their home, full of mythical beings aplenty. We see tall, walking blue shapes that can transform into trees, a large, neckless boy with a solitary eye in the middle of his body, another child resembling a mystic cow with horns, and a young boy made out of porcelain. I was reminded of mythology here: there’s even a Medusa child, whose snakes cover her eyes and who seems to be one of the most popular kids.
Alongside this, the mythical boy doesn’t fit in. The red, glowing halo that surrounds his head is magnificent. However, it malfunctions. The top right side of it stretches and breaks, sometimes shooting fiery projectiles in random directions. One hits the porcelain by, breaking a piece off his delicate head, another piece hits the other boy’s singular eye, sending him reeling. His father has the same red head halo, yet his doesn’t malfunction; yet try as he might, the boy can’t control his. It makes him an outcast amongst his peers — that is until he falls off the cloud and barrels towards Earth, meets a boy swinging in his backyard who helps him realize how to control his halo — and that it might be a uniqueness he has to be proud of instead of afraid of.
At its base, “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe!” is a treatise on acceptance and inclusion. However, watching the sequences with the young, mythical boy on Earth, I realized it was about something else as well: mental health. His fiery, chaotic halo was a burden to him. He would pull fiercely on one of his many ‘ears’ — which would shoot off fire in one direction. But when the young boy on Earth shows him to rub his head — to calm down — his fire made all these warm, pleasing effects which he would later wow the populace with back home. I thought of it as a deep breath or a stim; and in a world where chaos often reigns, Andrea Szelesová’s short film reminded me that no matter how hard we work to fit in, the one we have to be kindest to is ourselves.
Grade B+
“Saba” had its world premiere at Tribeca Festival on June 6th and is showing again on June 13th. “Eeny Meeny Miny Moe!” had its North American Premiere at Tribeca on June 6th and is also showing again on June 13th. Follow us for more coverage.
