Reviews

I actually watched this film a few years after the release of it. I was no longer big on Disney like I used to be when I was little in the first place, and I was not really a fan of Computer Graphic animation. However, my opinion about the animating style has changed after I watched this film. It is about a rabbit who solves problems as a corp with her friend for fox in a city called Zootopia. Zootopia is a city where any kinds of animals can live together in peace. There might be a city or country modeled for creating the story. As for me, I thought of New York or Vancouver, where people with various background come together. However, people are not always happy when different ethnic groups meet. This is true in reality, and this is a problem that the protagonist, Judy, and her friend, Nick, face in the film. They go through the problem, they are also examined their friendship, and their trust in themselves. The story conveys the strong messages; trust your friend, and "try everything" you want to do because your possibility is unlimited unless you do it to yourself.

Anyone should have cared about how you look. Especially, face is a body part which we first see. This is a story about a boy named Auggie (August Pullman) who has a different appearance on his face to others due to a congenital disease. The shy boy faces multitude of difficulties but he goes over them, and breaks his bubble throughout the story. What I liked about this film is that the story revolves around the protagonist while shedding enough light on other characters, such as Auggie's sister, Via (Olivia Pullman), his best friend, Jack, and Auggie and Via's best friend, Miranda. They are given an entire persona and treated as main components of the story rather than just as side-characters. Usually, when I watch a movie, I inevitably focus on a protagonist and do not pay much attention to the other characters. I hardly imagine how they grew up or why they behave the way they do. However, this movie reminded me of the fact that everyone is a protagonist of his/her story. I know this is a cliche, but when you hear Auggie or other characters tell their honest thoughts, they would definitely hit you in the deep bottom of your heart. Indeed, there are so many phrases that I loved. I believe this film will leave your heart warmer after watching it.

Have you ever read the picture book of Peter Rabbit? Even if you haven't, don't worry. You can still enjoy the movie. As you may know, Peter Rabbit is a story of a naughty rabbit boy and his family battling with Mcgregor. Yet, in the film version, some characters are different, which partly makes it possible for anyone to enjoy the film, and the story is more than adventurous. It is very difficult to describe the film accurately as it has various elements; adventures, romance, family-tie, and friendship. Indeed, this is not a film just for children. I watched it with a friend of mine. After watching it, he said, "The movie made me think (about many things)," and I could not agree with him more. The final decision Petter and his friends reached was something very suggestive. One of the messages is the importance of sharing. Sharing lands and sharing love to name a few. These cores of the story are hidden but you will realize when you finish watching. I never imagined that I would be taught such lesson watching Peter Rabbit, but because the movie hit the perfect balance between entertainment and caution, it was actually enjoyable, coupled with cheerful musics.

As a college student, I know little or nothing about companies let alone office environment. However, as I imagine, it might not be so different from school; there are people who are strict about rules and those who are not. In this short film, Terry Tate (aka Office Linebacker) is a symbol of rules. He is relentless to anyone who corrupts office moral. I personally like the contrasts depicted in the film. The characteristics of Terry Tate is very simple but well considered. The first impression of him is a masculine, tough, and probably simple-minded guy. However, as the cases show up, it turns out that he also have many counter aspects to the impression, such as kindness, weakness, and working skills. One comic book writer told me that this is a classical technique to develop a personality of a character. In other words, to give two opposite aspects to the character can make him/her appear to be like a human. Contrasts are also used in the story line, such as that of the CEO and Terry Tate, and justice and damage caused by protecting justice. Overall, I like the short film. It was so short that I could watch it as if I read a comic book, and I would love to watch the succeeding series of Terry.

Commuting in the morning must be a problem for anyone. Cars are jammed on a road and drivers are irritated. However, a protagonist in this film is totally happy with his commuting. And there are also people who attempt to take advantage of him, and ruin his routine.

My first impression of the film was "unique". The story itself is unrealistic but you can't help sympathizing with the protagonist, because the essence of the story setting is taken from our daily lives. At the same time, it coins global issues in modern days. For example, there is a scene where a man throw an empty can to the sea and the protagonist frowns in response, which I believe implies an environmental issue.

Coupled with the elements such as music, tone of the story, and warmth of the screen, the short film was very authentic.

During war time, a woman waits for her husband in a cabin in the deep woods alone. She bears the absence of her husband in front of people, but her heart is torn for her supposedly dead partner, agonizing how he was suffered at his last, and she starts to see nightmares. However, when it turns out that her husband has actually been alive, true nightmare begins to afflict her.

When I watch this film, my first impression was "shocking." It is not any sort of documentary film but it certainly depicts a fear of war. I cannot forget the Japanese soldier's glaring eyes, staring straight at the protagonist. I ultimately shared the same fear as she feels about the war theater and anxiety for her husband's life. During these scenes, my heart beat faster and faster, and the scenes were even intensified by being shot in the darkness, which inflamed terror in me.

Children often behave like adults. People call such kids precocious, often making fun of them. However, this short film might make you ask yourself, "Should we?" In The Crush, the protagonist, a boy named Ardal, has a crush on his female teacher, Miss Purdy. However, Miss Purdy has engaged a man who Ardal believes does not deserve her, and he pledges to take her back from him.

This is a well written movie with an element of a thriller. I was even terrified in the middle of the story. This sense of terror comes from our unconscious mind that cause us to believe that children think and act somewhat differently to adults. More than that, we even believe arrogantly that adults are superior to children at anything, such as choosing partner. The film critiques an irony that there are times children make better judgement piquantly. Finally, anyone who has protested adults in his or her youth should definitely watch this film. It will not disappoint them.

A half black Japanese boy, Keisuke, moves to countryside from downtown Tokyo. He faces discrimination because of his skin color, but he decides to prove them wrong and sure he's not scary through his behavior. The theme of this film must be racism or any kind of discrimination triggered by physical differences. Indeed, in Japan, people who does not match a Japanese typical appearance often treated differently, which is said to be more obvious in countryside. Though I thought lines might be unnatural as kids and other characters spoke too formally, I like the idea itself. I believe it is very meaningful to discuss the topic in the short film, and found it interesting to tell a story through the children's eyes. If you are interested in social issues related to ethnicity especially in Japan, this short film is highly recommended; just be aware of exaggerated expression. But even if you are not very much keen to know about the matter, this short film would still leave you with a good motivation as the protagonist tries to overcome his difficulty.

The Porcelain Unicorn is not a novel work like scientific fiction. Rather the background of the story where a German boy meets a Jewish girl sounds very realistic if you know the history of Germany during WWII. Though the setting is dark as you may see, the short film is so touching and even made me happy after watching. I think this emotional effect highly relies on the film's structure. The director did a great job in that he connected an old protagonist in the beginning, young protagonists in the middle, and back to the old protagonists at the end naturally. You can stay sympathizing them without being distracted while watching. The porcelain unicorn, not the title but an item in the film, also plays a crucial part in the film. The delivered images of porcelain such as pure or fragile resonates with that of characters' throughout the story. The unicorn is not just a toy passed among characters but a key object that portrays characters indirectly. Speaking of indirectness, there are some lines that can be interpreted in more that one way. I have already watched it twice and will watch it again, looking for new discoveries.

A father says goodbye to his little daughter. From that day, the daughter longs for her father. Their farewell scene is so memorable and touching that the feeling of loss continues throughout the entire story, despite the fact that the father and daughter actually spend only a few seconds together in the film.

This film is stunning coupled with its background music, which sounds ethnic to my foreigner ears, and the way characters are depicted. The European music brings a rhythm to the story as well as delivers emotions of the heroine. You cannot tell how she feels from her facial reaction - characters are pictured too simple and small to recognize their faces. Yet you can tell how old they are or how they feel from their gestures and the way they move.

The film is quite short. In addition, the characters do not say any words. However, I was impressed at the end of watching of the story. There are much room left for watchers to think, or maybe dream, about the meanings of every event in the story, so the impressions that you will hold may well be different from mine, but what I felt was nostalgia. Not quite sad, not quite happy, but in between of these two.

In the beginning of the film, commuters and tourists on the streets in New York City suddenly fall down to the ground one after another. This opening is eye catching. I wondered what will happen next and why.

An interesting thing about this movie is that film makers gave the dull protagonist an element of horror. He does not intend to kill somebody but he does anyway for his own good. Moreover, because people do not pay much attention to such a dense person, nobody notice what causes this kind of supernatural. The feeling of terror is even more emphasized by the siren of ambulances echoing all over the city. First audiences hear simple siren noises, but when they hear them in the last of the film, there are two types of noises mixed; noises of siren and applause. By the contrast of beginning at the end, the director succeeds in messing viewers' mind; you would feel like laugh at the ridiculous cause of death as well as be horrified by the innocent murderer.

A British man and his Japanese wife living in Kamakura meet a half Western half Japanese boy and through the meeting, the couple witnesses changes around them.

The context of this short film is something we all experience. Love for family, hatred to neighbors, and friendship with colleagues. Characters face each difficulty just as we do, and those conflicts are resolved in the end. The result may be something we hope them to be.

The film was like a documentary film with a few camera work and background music. I think these two would make the film more dramatic enough to make audiences fully resonate with the story.