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This curated 90-minute program of 16 animated short films from around the world offers some laughs, some gorgeous visuals and a fair amount of reflection on troubled times and assorted anxieties. Among the distressed are the night-shift workers depicted in “The Burden,” a dizzying work from Sweden that travels from odd to profound, with roots in the Hollywood musical. For laughs, there are the relatable everyday disappointments of “Unsatisfying,” the wry British domestic tableau of “The Alan Dimension,” and the candy-colored, dialogue-free charms of “Gokurosama,” set in a Japanese mall. Basketball fans will note “Dear Basketball,” Kobe Bryant’s ode to the sport that defined his life; and “Domestic Bees,” a clever four-dimensional visual take on intersecting lives. In the midst of the new films, it was a restored short from 50 years ago that felt most relevant: “Hangman,” based on a poem by Maurice Ogden, is a gorgeously depicted version of the “first, they came for the other guy, so I did nothing” warning.
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2018.
Better catch this now and enjoy it while you can. If Rick Fosbrink and his gang take over the Hollywood Theater they’re sure as hell not going to show stuff like this anymore. It’ll be 2nd run mainstream films all the way.