Fresh from the Festivals: April 2003's Film Reviews

Jon Hofferman reviews five short films fresh from the festival circuit: Autofoto by Avi Offer, The ErlKing by Ben Zelkowicz, Stefan Gruber's Leashlessness, Shh. by Adam Robb and Skin by Bobby de Groot. Includes QuickTime movie clips!
Posted In | Columns: Festivals

Schubert, Goethe and sand on glass come together in The ErlKing. © Ben Zelkowicz.

The ErlKing
In this quite beautiful and accomplished film, director Ben Zelkowicz uses the medium of sand on glass to illustrate Franz Schubert's famous song based on a poem by Goethe. Except for a few segments in which he incorporates colored sand for dramatic effect, Zelkowicz has chosen to work with only one hue, but this limited palette — which produces a kind of sepia effect — is very effective in capturing the nocturnal, spooky milieu of the poem and song. His decision not to include subtitles is somewhat more problematic, since for a viewer who doesn't speak German or isn't already familiar with the poem, this can be something of a detriment to fully appreciating the story's nuances and its tragic conclusion. Also, as with any work that seeks to give visual form to a pre-existing song or poem, the director runs the risk of redundancy, and of diluting the power of both the source material and his images. Yet, as Zelkowicz confirms in his written notes, he was aware of these potential pitfalls and, while he doesn't completely transcend them, they're at worst minor flaws in what is otherwise a very successful effort.

Ben Zelkowicz studied English and biopsychology before deciding he didn't want to be a scientist and would rather devote himself to animation. A graduate of Cal Arts, for which The ErlKing was his thesis film, he has worked for Will Vinton studios and is currently employed by the Chiodo Brothers studio, where he animates "Clay" for the Disney channel. The ErlKing has been shown at Sundance, the New York Film Festival, Mill Valley, and the Leipzig Documentary/Animation Festival, among other venues.

Doggie liberation is the point in Leashlessness.
© Stefan Gruber.

Leashlessness
Stefan Gruber's paean to doggie liberation is stronger in its design than in its narrative structure, which is particularly problematic since Leashlessness is a film that's telling a specific story and is dependent on a chronology of events for its impact. Gruber has a nice, whimsical drawing style, and his use of color, "camera angles," and the space within the frame is both imaginative and thoughtful; however, there's a slackness in the pacing and the sequencing of segments that tends to undercut the film's dramatic effectiveness. More specifically, while it's clear in general what's happening, the film doesn't present information in a way that clearly conveys the director's intentions, and his implied critique of obsessive dog owners tends to fall a bit flat. Also, Jared Selter's hypnotic score, though fine in itself, feels somewhat ill-suited to the kinetic events on the screen, which might have benefited from a more lively accompaniment.

Leashlessness is Stefan Gruber's first film, which he made as a student at Cal Arts. It won first place at the Big Muddy festival, received the Princess Grace Award, and was a finalist for a Student Academy Award.







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