AFI: Best of the FEST Part 2

The Fisherman, dir. Calvin Brown

From the opening moments of The Fisherman, a portentous bible quote from the book of Job in an old-timey font over a screen of ominous static, it is clear that this is not the usual animated film: no cutesy anthropomorphic animals will be learning the power of friendship here. The Rankin and Bass-styled characters belie the dramatic hardships and evangelical yearning that is about to overcome this animated world as a devout fisherman has his faith tested by a series of supernatural phenomena that plague him and his family.

From the first frame, Brown creates an almost unbearable tension, with wind whistling in every scene, and threatening hums and thumps part of an immersive sound design by Nic Zingalie and Dan McRaven. The unrelenting grim-dark atmosphere really hammers home the overarching themes of The Fisherman—the pain, grief, and anguish that comes with believing (or not believing) in God. Borrowing from Bergman, the fisherman’s wife questions his decision to continue to pray to God even though God caused their pain, culminating in a series of stunning, Tarkovsky-indebted images, a man levitating toward a spooky sound, a house consumed in flames, never-ending rainstorms, all heavy symbolic messages from Heaven or Hell.  

A large portion of The Fisherman’s text is borrowed from "The Day of Doom: or, A Poetical Description of the Great and Last Judgment," a religious poem by clergyman Michael Wigglesworth that became a best-selling classic in Puritan New England for a century after it was published in 1662. The poem describes the Day of Judgment, on which a vengeful God judges and sentences all men, going into detail as to the various categories of people who think themselves excusable who will nonetheless end up in Hell.

Brown also inserts text from the "first American Evangelical" Cotton Mather, a Puritan clergyman and author in colonial New England, who wrote extensively on theological, historical, and scientific subjects and defended his role in the witch hunt conducted in Salem, Massachusetts, and his belief that witchcraft was an evil magical power, and prosecution of witches as a way to secure God's blessings for the colony. Brown’s detailed historical accuracy and use of period religious texts lends The Fisherman the aura of Robert Eggers films The Lighthouse and The VVitch.

The Fisherman makes the most of the interplay of light and shadow in candlelit rooms, as its stylized three-dimensional people deliver their haunting monologues against distant two-dimensional backgrounds. Beginning from the breathtaking wide shot of the fisherman in his boat on a wild rippling sea, The Fisherman becomes more and more packed with images that only become increasingly ominous and grotesque: a plant sprouts out of a maggoty pig head, a man has a cephalopod face, a leviathan rises from the deep water. The way off-kilter framing of characters, and a crackle like shot on vintage film adds to the off-kilter mood, like a vintage horror film found on VHS in a box of lost ephemera.

Review by: Joshua Hunt

Amarelo Banana, dir. Alexandre Sousa

In recent years, Portuguese animation has been on the rise. The Ice Merchants became the first Portuguese film ever to get an Academy Award nomination. Therefore, projects like The Garbage Man and Percebes reached major film festivals, such as the Annecy Film Festival. In this sense, it is an ongoing industry in the small territory in Europe. Amarelo Banana is another crucial animation participating in film festivals. Hence, the debut director, Alexandre Sousa, premieres with an odd animation style and premise. It narrates the story of a man in his apartment who suddenly hears a noise from the apartment upstairs. When he opens his door, he sees a person running downstairs and decides to go upstairs to investigate what is happening. What he discovers is an utterly unknown world. 

Sousa, in his directorial debut, does not tell a conventional, straightforward story. Firstly, the film narrates the unknown oddness of the world around us. In one aspect, the newcomer invites us to imagine the different realities of the neighbors next door. What will you find out if you knock on their door? Consequently, the man's curiosity leads him to a literal jungle. Monkeys jumping all around him  and people with masks, all behaving in their most animalesque spirits. The drawing style is familiar; it seems like the cartoons you would watch on children's linear channels, but the humour and content would be more appropriate for teenagers. Similarly, Amarelo Banana feels the same. Despite its appearance, the film illustrates the crazy aspects of the human species. 

In this sense, Sousa's film is a nightmarish experience of going through an incognito door. Daily, each door we enter is an anonymous experience. Furthermore, the further we seek answers and logic in the living room with monkeys jumping and the masqueraded people, the less likely we are to find it. Finally, it is necessary to set aside our need for answers. Art should not provide us responses, particularly because life does not. Alexandre Sousa, in his first directorial effort, delivers a sensorial, confusing, and impressive initial point to his career as a filmmaker. Yet, Amarelo Banana leaves us with the discomfort of watching a piece of work that is not that conventional. However, it excites us to welcome a different world, and still a thrilling environment. 

In the end, Amarelo Banana welcomes another exciting voice for Portuguese animation, which is boiling with plenty of talent. Still, Alexandre Sousa is a name to keep an eye on, especially if they continue to deliver provoking animation, refusing to give simple answers, but exciting for the challenge of not understanding.

Review by: Pedro Lima

Cão Sozinho, dir. Marta Reis Andrade

Following the spotlight on the Portuguese animation, Marta Reis Andrade presents her sophomore short film, Cão Sozinho (Dog Alone). After her debut with As Horas, produced by BAP Animação, the same studio as Percebes, last year's Annecy winner. In her subsequent work, the young Portuguese author narrates the story of a girl visiting her grandfather. Despite her lack of interest in the trip, she attempts to find amusement in the mundane activities and the world around her. In a day, she glimpses an alone dog in a house near her grandad's, which, like him, is suddenly alone. The girl and her widowed grandpa go on a journey to save the dog, while connecting along the way. 

Portuguese animation has a plethora of drawing styles, narratives, and talents in the medium. Marta Reis Andrade tells the story of her grandfather, a while after returning home from London. Yet, animation allows filmmakers to dive into fantastical worlds. It is the case for Andrade, who explores the absurdity of the animation to tell a touching tale of a girl, a dog, and her grandfather. The human being is a collective animal; hence, it needs company to thrive in nature. It applies to dogs, domesticated animals that require the company of other beings. It is a heaven-made union. Furthermore, Marta introduces a girl who is exploring the world, and an elderly man whose world just vanished. In the end, they fit each other. 

Consequently, the film reminds us of the best parts of Over the Garden Wall, a TV show about siblings wandering in the woods. Similar to Wirt and Greg, grandfather and granddaughter explore the unknown forest. The drawing style, which has sharp edges and creative textures, provides a new universe for this particular story. At first, it might seem like a story about rescuing a dog in an abandoned house. However, it is also a narrative about uniting generations, which usually drift apart due to the generational gap. Thus, Marta utilizes a personal experience to narrate about the necessity of reuniting with the older generations of our own blood. What is a better way to do that than a fun adventure? 

Finally, Cão Sozinho reflects on the differences between generations. It brings an adventurous tone to the suffering of a grandfather who just became a widow, and is suddenly alone. The film is a showcase for Marta Reis Andrade, who transformed her personal anecdotes into a fascinating journey through the labyrinth of loneliness.

Review by: Pedro Lima