Art is subjective. After seven years of doing poetry slams, I know that. After years of doing essay contests or sending my short stories in for awards, I know that. But sometimes people reach a consensus. What is bad, what is good, what is awful.
The other day Justin and I saw the animated shorts that had been nominated for this years Oscars. I went in with an open mind. Normally, I’m not a fan of animated videos that are for adults because I feel that they should be reserved for kids and families. I don’t like when they do adult things in cartoons. It makes me feel weird. I felt I should share this before we dove into the shorts.
The first short (Magic Candies) was a wholesome cartoon about a boy discovering magic candies that could make him hear the thoughts and speech of those around him like the couch (don’t we all want to hear what our couch has to say?), his dog, his father and his deceased Grandma. I thought it was cute, if a little gimmicky. But I can’t say much more other than the fact that it was cute. At the beginning, the boy was playing by himself. At the end, he asks another boy if he would like to play with him. I was a little confused about how the magic candies influenced his social life but it was pleasant. I wouldn’t take the time to watch it again though.
The second short was In the Shadow of Cypress. A man and woman live on an island and the man seems to be battling some terrible inner demons due to traumatic memories (PTSD probably). His rage seems to scare his wife and she looks like she’s about to leave him (suitcase and everything) when one day a giant whale has washed ashore. Working together the woman and her husband must get the whale back into the water. There was no dialogue in this short but I don’t think it needs it. In fact the lack of dialogue enhances it. This one was for sure my favorite short.
The third short, Yuck, was about a childhood stage where you think kissing is just disgusting. There is a group of children who see kissing everyone and make fun of it. Two of the children secretly want to kiss the other and when they are found out the two children are ridiculed. I felt the same way about this one as I did about the first. It was wholesome but no masterpiece and no, I wouldn’t watch it again.
The fourth one, Wander to Wonder, was God awful and I wish I never watched it. It was about the abandoned puppets that had once starred on a children’s show. It was weird, not overtly sexual but one of the puppets was naked below the waist and I don’t see the point of nudity in a cartoon. There were giant piles of dead flies that the puppets were eating. If this pathetic excuse for something meaningful wins, I will boycott the Oscars. There is no need to promote disturbing materials.
The last cartoon, Beautiful Men, wasn’t as bad but I didn’t like it. It is about three men who are trying to get a hair transplant but there is only one slot which leads to some quarreling among the men. I got the feeling there was supposed to be more than that (one of the men was worried about testicular cancer. More nudity) but it seemed to be one of those artistic pieces that was simply trying too hard.
If I I had to cast my vote it would be for Shadow of Cypress. It is unusual for me to go for a film without dialogue but they did it very well. I intended to post this yesterday but life got in the way. Full disclosure: I am sort of floating on a very deep pool of depression. When you are bipolar these things can crop fairly quickly. It got bad Sunday, worse on Monday and then yesterday my psychiatrist mentioned hospitializaiton which we both want to avoid at all costs (though he will send me there if necessary). The last hospital I was placed in was a shithole. There was garbage everywhere, no privacy (one of the male nurses doing rounds walked in on me naked as I was getting into my pajamas), no groups (how were we supposed to get better), no therapy and I felt like my safety was at risk. I’m not going back. So we increased three of my medications. Last night I went out to celebrate the birthday of a friend. I was tired and numb but I’m glad I went out. It’s not good to isolate. I’m glad for my friends.
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