Highly Overrated But Still Good

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

"Edmond" is a British 9-minute animated short film from 2015, so still relatively new and fresh. Writer and director is Nina Gantz from the Netherlands, so it is maybe no surprise that this short film here has no spoken or written language, which means you can watch it wherever you are from. But the question is: Do you really want to? I personally thought the story wasn't too great. It sure was extremely absurd, especially with the way violence and (animal) sexuality were added here. It's like a British stop-motion felt version of South Park, extremely bizarre. But I don't think, it is really as deep or meaningful as it was meant to be. I can see the creativity at times, but a great deal was lost on the way from idea to execution. And on a pretty personal note, the animation style and overall looks didn't do too much for me. I cannot agree with the BAFTA win and the other awards recognition here. Must have been a pretty weak year for British animated short films. Don't watch.

Edmond is a freaky short film, with a freaky character and freaky situations. Yet, despite the freakishness, it has a heart, and conveys an unique story in a very creative and artistic way. The film has a mix of stop-motion, 2D and 3D animation and uses very soft cute felt puppets, so it is very soft on the eye, literally.Gantz's previous short Zeliger was really different regarding narrative, animation techniques and story. Yet, something is clear to me, the director has an interest in the state of the soul, in the feelings that life brings to us, how we experience them, and what we do with them.The story of Edmond starts from the end and goes backwards, in a progressive chronological regression in which Edmond goes where all began, stopping at different traumatic episodes of his life. Edmond's problem is that he wants to connect, but every time he does so, he hurts somebody and gets shier and more alienated. Edmond seems to be a bit autistic, unaware of societal codes of conduct and healthy emotional states of connection, which are a source of frustration and inner pain. The movie makes us put ourselves in Edmond's shoes, and it really hurts.The film has gory-ish episodes, erotic episodes, sad episodes and barely any happy one.Edmond is a great short film, with a great narrative, an interesting story and a very good digging into the psychology of the main character.Most of the words spoken are songs, but the story is so well told that no word is necessary.