WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Disregarded. Cast aside. Ignored. Made fun of. Misfit. While it is honestly baffling how shallow and cruel we as human beings can be towards others, it sadly doesn’t seem to stop it from happening. When you are the one on the receiving end of such baseless ignorance, the loneliness it can breed can be utterly debilitating. Even when just trying to exist, ridicule still seems to worm its way into our path, further exacerbating our sense of separation. Yet, when all appear lost, it can sometimes take just ONE unexpected interaction to change it all. For Nemo (voiced by Bjorn Ingmar Boske), the former aspects of the previous statements represent his reality until one day, thanks to an accidental malfunction of the lighthouse he maintains, a visitor named Laika (voiced by Viktoria Schreiber) crashes (quite literally) into his life and becomes a needed force of transformation.
Next, my Mind:
Being the one who’s teased, ridiculed, treated like a mistake or failure, and emotionally beat down gets revealed, addressed, adjusted, and resolved all within fifteen minutes time thanks to this Oscar qualifying animated short film from writer/director/editor/animator Jan Gadermann, co-director/animator Sebastian Gadow, and producer Johannes Schubert that takes the pain and toll of bullying, ostracization, longing to be accepted, frustrations of life in general when nothing seems to be going right, liberation discovered when seen through the eyes of a true friend, and the total re-assessment of what’s valuable about a person into account, shakes it up, and provides the beauty of what it is to just be HUMAN. On an initially broader scale, this critic felt that due to the project being animated as opposed to live action, it somehow enhanced the story to a different degree of impact, most likely as it was able to be visually creative in how its characters looked and acted, putting a realistic air to a more uniquely fantastical (though still believable) realm without losing its focus or intent.
With its narrative centered around a young diver who cares for his little town’s lighthouse but has always been seen as a freak, most likely due to his penchant for constantly wearing his diving suit even as a child, the world is lonely until a series of circumstances occurs that brings an unanticipated new friend into his circle which initiates the subsequent personal revival he then gets to encounter, it’s one of those straightforward tales that works just like it is, without any need to necessarily flesh out TOO much, but rather offer all the specific details we need to understand the character’s plight and then follow the heartening, inspirational journey he embarks on. What always strikes me with this style of story is that it is so deeply necessary in this day and age we’re in where so much misconception, abject hate and anger, and embittered attitudes are being directed at anyone who doesn’t “fit the mold” as it were. How this film aids in showcasing at least a certain amount of resolution to that is so perfectly apropos, smile-inducing, and just plain heart-warming.
Furthermore, what I additionally appreciated here WAS precisely the concept of just how WORTHY and REQUIRED the supposed “outcast’s” skills, knowhow, and desire to help ARE to those who were a part of the original group that did nothing but make fun of him, and I guess I feel this is SO vital in communicating the film’s messages on a more relatable level and magnitude of intentionality as many of us might certainly be able to attest what it’s like, unfortunately, to feel like no one “SEES” us or the talents we could bring to bear given the chance, how it could benefit others, and create new inroads to better relationships and/or partnerships. The notions of sincere attachment that can manifest between two total strangers, being a voice of encouragement to spur someone timid to TAKE action, fulfilling or determining one’s potential, demonstrating commitment to another in time of need, and even a nicely playful, even comical, perspective on heaping some of those proverbial coals on the heads of former detractors, it’s all given screen time here as well to wonderfully effective and convincing extents, leaving an indelible mark on the viewer’s mind and soul as it should, more so given the purposeful gravity of what’s being conveyed.
The animation presented here is absolutely fabulous and it simply endears you to the film even more, at least for me it did, as the style and methodology via stop motion puppets SEEMS so overtly outdated in this contemporary time when CGI rules the world. Yet, instead, this makes the creativeness and time invested in making this happen (7 years, folks, SEVEN!) as a graduation project for the co-directors while they achieved their Masters in Directing Animation degrees from Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf acutely impressive, topped off by winning the Student Academy Award for this piece of sheer artistic passion. It represents the true commitment of indie filmmakers who still LOVE the ART of cinema and what it takes to make it a reality. Watching this effort makes me harken back to classic stop motion offerings like “Shaun The Sheep”, “”Chicken Run”, “A Nightmare Before Christmas”, “Isle of Dogs”, “Coraline” and a multitude of others. THIS is ART, as I also pointed to in my review of “The Ocean Duck” and its illustration-based form. Again, it’s the definition of fidelity to what speaks to you most as an artist and having the opportunity to deliver this to the world–WORTH every moment of labor.
As with any animated effort, it is voiceover work that gives the actors a chance to utilize that aspect of their repertoires. Here, there isn’t actually an overabundance of dialogue, as the film allows its visuals to speak quite emphatically on their own. But, when we DO hear words come forth, they are provided by Bjorn Ingmar Boske as Nemo, Viktoria Schreiber as Laika, Jorg Moukaddam as a man known only as The Captain, Nikolaus Sternfeld as The Fisherman, Eoin Killian as a teacher from Nemo’s childhood Pieter, and Johanna Polley as another teacher named Amelia. So, in total, ” Laika & Nemo” is a full-on exercise in engaging, entertaining, visual charm and beautiful storytelling while providing us with truly practical, worthwhile, and imperative life lessons in the context of chasing your dreams and overcoming obstacles (personal and otherwise) we can all take to heart, regardless of who we are, as the principals unveiled here apply to us, well, ALL. Let’s hope this film can likewise aid in bringing further awareness and the subsequent actions to prevent bullying and disfellowship that we might actually see a world made better.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
