It did snow yesterday (ugh)... so we went to see the "2007 Academy Award Nominated Animated Short Films." What a treat! My favorite was titled "My Love" by Alexander Petrov of Russia. The animation style is like a continuously-evolving impressionist painting. It was so unusual and strikingly beautiful... I had to find out how it was done.
The International Federation of Film Critics website has a review of the film by Nadezhda Marinchevska, who says, "My Love is a passionate and psychological film beautifully painted on glass. It delicately moves between reality, introspection and dreams without destroying the truthfulness of the story. Alexander Petrov's painting is derived from the impressionist styles and their bright colors interspersed here and there with dramatic red and black tones pouring out of the boy's nightmares. The talented animation gives new life to the countless tiny brush strokes which are in a state of permanent movement. Actually, Petrov makes his oil paintings with fingers on multiple glass planes. The world in the film is moving and dancing in a never-ending play of shadows and colors matching the unstable emotions of the young boy. The continuous blurs and sharps of the image are part of the poetic language of the film. This is a work of contrasts where the sunshine plays its own role over the characters' faces. The fluid changes of the image create a breathing world where harmony and drama blend in an organic way."
Part of the film is posted on YouTube so you can get a rough idea, however the subtleties and very fluid transitions when viewed on a big screen are completely different. If you get a chance to see it, the striking visuals will stay with you for a long time.
