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First, the Recap:
The antecedents of our contemporary world. For everyting we currently know as “how it is”, there has been that which came before, the building blocks of realties we might take only at face value now, rather than to appreciate their origins or even how things used to be prior to them being tainted by our own overbearing need to control and dominate all we have been given. However, what if we were to truly see this place we call home through the eyes of Earth itself? Would she be so forgiving or be wrought with lament at the turning tides in the treatment of this beautiful gift we’ve been provided, as could only be seen by eyes and minds far more ancient than any of us could realize or grasp.
Next, my Mind:
It exudes an atmosphere that is both allegorical and painfully real, a study in calm and in chaos, meant to open our eyes to the plight of this spinning world we call our home as seen through the eyes and minds of, perhaps, Earth herself or the mighty mountains that form so much of her landscape, at least in this critic’s interpretation of the 6-minute short from writer/director/animator Francesca Gaby Van Daele, screened at the 2020 Berlin Revolution Film Festival. With a mix of animation and live action footage, the narrative spins a tale of celebration and sorrow in its aim to illustrate how so much that encompasses us actually causes us to become blind to the often negative effects being immersed in something too deeply brings about.
As alluded to above, the uniqueness of the narration we hear accompanying the intermixed imagery is the perspective it’s being told from, and it bears witness to a highly relevant questioning of how we see this planet and all contained within it, maybe now being so swept away fully in the freedoms and abundance we have that we’ve subsequently forgotten to pause and simply cherish it and be thankful. At first it would seem individualistic through the experiences of a woman who expounds on her first time in the ocean, but it then becomes more evident the scope being spoken about is carried out by a much more long-lived entity, who then shows us her view of humanity in a very sobering though lyrical light.
It’s an absorption of our past, a recollection of change, fluctuation in time and space as guideposts for the history of our civilization here and what damages we’ve done, mostly brought on by ourselves and the poorer choices made. It isn’t intended to be, in my opinion, an embittered diatribe towards mankind as much as an ultimately saddening recount of how much has become stagnant in our memories, but not in the “eyes” of Earth or the mountains themselves who’ve been surrounded and saturated by our occupation of their space for so long–only they have not lost sight or grip on all that has transpired and continues to that makes them erupt with sadness paired with a longing for change in the landscape of all that is happening.
Again, this is all deeply symbolic and emblematic to paint the portrait it does, but it doesn’t take away from the message of awareness I feel is intended. The visuals are beautifully rendered here, keeping things simple animation-wise yet vibrant, richly colorful, and perfect in overall appearance for the purposes of this effort. The live-action footage is really more for thematic illustrative purposes and is integrated well into the rest of the visual flow. Hans Temmerman provides the background music score to affecting impact and the soothing, even-paced voiceover work by Lisa Van Melkebeke draws us into the film’s journey with ease and warming yet quietly authoritative presence.
In total, “Mountain’s Memories” may have completely different connotations meant by Van Daele and Company, and if so, that’s of course perfectly allowable! I feel the ongoing stength of indie cinema is how it can speak to anyone in any way, touching the heart and soul and as is the case here, delivering a necessary message and moral about this Earth that hopefully resonates with us enough to be willing to be a catalyst for more positive change in order to keep the world the blessing that it is.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
