The storyline follows a man who arrives in a big city, moves into a small apartment and mysterious happenings start occurring that send him fleeing.
This has got to be my favorite film this season. It is so interesting, starting with its name, The Oubliette, a French term named for a specialized type of dungeon where a prisoner was thrown down into and then forgotten. I really enjoyed the black and white animation. It's strikingly beautiful and very intricately detailed starting with the ship at the beginning, but continuing with the man's briefcase, his hands, street signs, his room - all have exquisite textures and shades of grey. The way the light is handled makes it seem very realistic.
I like how the man figures out that he is being watched and the suspense when he attempts to get away. It seems that someone is after the man as he attempts to mail a letter. I love the scene when he takes the letter to get stamped and a hand comes out of the wall to stamp it and then retreats to become part of the wall again. It's very surrealistic. One of my favorite scenes is the beginning when we see the ship sailing across the water. The animation is incredible, with black, white, and shades of gray setting a mood of intrigue. The water looks and sounds very realistic as we hear the ripples of the waves and the sound of seagulls. The boat sails into the harbor and people disembark, including the protagonist. We watch him go through something like customs, board a train into the city, walk through the streets to a building, and climb the stairs up to his small room. It's all very dark and shadowy. He writes a letter then goes to get it stamped, looking over his shoulder as the suspense builds. He is clearly becoming suspicious and notices that things aren't quite right. He realizes others are watching him. Back in his room, in bed, he hears noises and looks out the peephole into the stairwell. The next day, he walks into an auditorium, hands the envelope to someone but it's torn at the top. We wonder why. He returns to his room, hears sounds again and sees a bunch of people climbing the stairs! He opens the window and escapes before they get there; climbing down a ladder as people come into his room. That room leads to another room and out another door. We see a door like that of a ship; the handle turns and the door opens. He climbs the stairs -- up, then down again -- into the dark, only to emerge in another room, looking out the window at a stark landscape with a single tree. He walks out into a field of grass, goes to the tree and we see what looks like a manhole cover beneath it. It's up to our imagination to think what might happen next.
This film is made by a 17-year-old high school student, Max Hendrickson, from Ireland. He definitely has control of the visuals as well as the ability to create suspense that builds throughout the film. I like how he created the male protagonist as a simple line drawing that appears mostly white against the dark background. Also, the sound effects are great -- there is a difference in the sounds of his footsteps when the man walks on metal stairs as opposed to when he walks on wooden stairs. The rain and the sounds of the train are also very clear and give us a sense of the climate.
The film's message is that that things are not always as they seem and to stay alert.
I give The Oubliette 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. By Carlee S. and Julie S., KIDS FIRST!
The storyline follows a man who arrives in a big city, moves into a small apartment and mysterious happenings start occurring that send him fleeing.
This has got to be my favorite film this season. It is so interesting, starting with its name, The Oubliette, a French term named for a specialized type of dungeon where a prisoner was thrown down into and then forgotten. I really enjoyed the black and white animation. It's strikingly beautiful and very intricately detailed starting with the ship at the beginning, but continuing with the man's briefcase, his hands, street signs, his room - all have exquisite textures and shades of grey. The way the light is handled makes it seem very realistic.
I like how the man figures out that he is being watched and the suspense when he attempts to get away. It seems that someone is after the man as he attempts to mail a letter. I love the scene when he takes the letter to get stamped and a hand comes out of the wall to stamp it and then retreats to become part of the wall again. It's very surrealistic. One of my favorite scenes is the beginning when we see the ship sailing across the water. The animation is incredible, with black, white, and shades of gray setting a mood of intrigue. The water looks and sounds very realistic as we hear the ripples of the waves and the sound of seagulls. The boat sails into the harbor and people disembark, including the protagonist. We watch him go through something like customs, board a train into the city, walk through the streets to a building, and climb the stairs up to his small room. It's all very dark and shadowy. He writes a letter then goes to get it stamped, looking over his shoulder as the suspense builds. He is clearly becoming suspicious and notices that things aren't quite right. He realizes others are watching him. Back in his room, in bed, he hears noises and looks out the peephole into the stairwell. The next day, he walks into an auditorium, hands the envelope to someone but it's torn at the top. We wonder why. He returns to his room, hears sounds again and sees a bunch of people climbing the stairs! He opens the window and escapes before they get there; climbing down a ladder as people come into his room. That room leads to another room and out another door. We see a door like that of a ship; the handle turns and the door opens. He climbs the stairs -- up, then down again -- into the dark, only to emerge in another room, looking out the window at a stark landscape with a single tree. He walks out into a field of grass, goes to the tree and we see what looks like a manhole cover beneath it. It's up to our imagination to think what might happen next.
This film is made by a 17-year-old high school student, Max Hendrickson, from Ireland. He definitely has control of the visuals as well as the ability to create suspense that builds throughout the film. I like how he created the male protagonist as a simple line drawing that appears mostly white against the dark background. Also, the sound effects are great -- there is a difference in the sounds of his footsteps when the man walks on metal stairs as opposed to when he walks on wooden stairs. The rain and the sounds of the train are also very clear and give us a sense of the climate.
The film's message is that that things are not always as they seem and to stay alert.
I give The Oubliette 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. By Carlee S. and Julie S., KIDS FIRST!
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