Here's the description from the National Film Board of Canada:
This Oscar®-winning animated short from Chris Landreth is based on the life of Ryan Larkin, a Canadian animator who produced some of the most influential animated films of his time. Ryan is living every artist's worst nightmare - succumbing to addiction, panhandling on the streets to make ends meet. Through computer-generated characters, Landreth interviews his friend to shed light on his downward spiral. Some strong language. Viewer discretion is advised.Wikipedia notes that "Ryan won the 2004 Academy Award for Animated Short Film and the 25th Genie Award for Best Animated Short. The film was also very well received at the Cannes, Venice, Sundance and Toronto film festivals."
The unusual (bizarre) graphic imagery may be a little off-putting at first, but I recommend sticking with it. The film is thought-provoking re the relationships of artistic excellence and mental instability.
Ryan Larkin died in 2007 of metastatic lung cancer.
Powerful film. It's good to know that he was making his way back to his art before he died, but sad that he went before anything was complete. Hopefully he found some peace in that last year. Thank you for posting this.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous and moving film - thanx a lot! I found the imagery absolutely perfect for the subject matter, ie. a couple of mentally tortured artists. It showed something not talked about much: mental illness is physically painful! Besides that, it was beautiful and beautifully made. :)(:
ReplyDeleteI cannot adequately describe how much I love you for sharing this with us all. I think (as I often do, when visiting your blog) that my life has been altered, at least in a small way.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words, Ravenna. There are days when comments like yours keep me going.
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