Anima (2019) Short Movie Review

 

Anima | 2019 | 15m
Genre: Music/Short | Country: US
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Thom Yorke, Dajana Roncione, Frida Dam Seidel
IMDB: 7.6
My Rate: 10/10

A musical short film based on the music and songs of Thom Yorke combined with the story and visualization from Paul Thomas Anderson, creating a perfect and stunning combination.

 

Synopsis:

Yorke is on a train with other passengers until his gaze accidentally meets the gaze of a woman opposite him. When all the passengers get off, Yorke realizes that the woman’s bag is left behind. Yorke takes the bag and tries to return it.

Chasing the woman is not easy. Besides the woman disappearing from his sight, the bag is also lost from his grasp. Yorke tries to find the whereabouts of both with all the twists and turns he must face.

Will their meeting happen?

 

Review:

Anima is Thom Yorke’s third album with the themes of Anxiety and Dystopia. This short film was released alongside the album. Combining each song into the story is a brilliant idea to introduce it to the audience. Especially the story presented without dialogue adds meaning to this film.

The story idea is actually quite simple and presented systematically, making it easy to understand. The selection of the song order used as accompaniment for each scene is done very well, matching the tension of each scene shown on screen.

The background story development is done very well. The accidental meeting of their gazes becomes the foundation for everything. Eventually, the presence of the bag becomes Yorke’s reason to interact with the woman.

Conflict arises unexpectedly when the bag is taken from Yorke. The atmosphere begins to change, and tension is felt, especially with the attitude of the people around adding challenges for Yorke.

The story resolution is done very well. With their meeting, an unexpected chemistry is built. The mood also becomes brighter and more cheerful than before. The development of each character is quite visible.

The acting of the players and dancers is very impressive. Viewers will be treated to simple but meaningful dance visualizations. The expression of the main character also plays an important role in conveying the emotions of the story.

Overall, it can be summed up in one word: Perfect.

 
Memorable scene:

When the man finally meets the woman and the chemistry between them is visible. In this scene, we can see how fate often plays a little game with a meeting until that meeting truly happens. With all the efforts we have made to realize it, the result becomes full of meaning.

 
Recommendation:

Must Watch

 

(Aluna)