Pretty Good

It is a performances centric movie

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

A story about bravery and doing whatever it takes to conquer the impossible, "Le Gouffre" is a great short lm that is sure to get your blood pumping.Released in 2014, "Le Gouffre" is the first animated short produced by Lightning Boy Studio, an up and coming Canadian creative team. Translated "The Gulf," this short is about two travelers and their determination to build a bridge over an extremely wide canyon. The story sounds simple, and it is, but its simplicity counters the depth of the cinematography, just as the travelers' simple goal is countered with the vastness of their wide barrier. In order to create a simple plot, there is no dialogue in the short, as it relies heavily on music and action to push the plot. This is very effective, as the audience is left to ponder what the characters' motives exactly are for building this bridge. The music is epic instrumental that rises and falls with each beautifully animated scene, creating suspense when needed. The plot is driven solely by what the characters do in their situation, not how they verbally interact.The music and lack of dialogue both point the audience toward its theme. Without giving away the ending, this lm focuses on the power of friendship and overcoming obstacles. There is not much distracting the audience from really thinking about these ideas, and that seems to be exactly what the Lightning Boys wanted. At the end of the lm, the theme is meant to be ambiguous, which is aimed to speak to each individual person in the audience. The ending is where the short shines most.I am really excited to see what comes next for Lightning Boy Studio. They have definitely crossed a bridge in the right direction toward their dreams, and "Le Gouffre" proves that the future is bright for them. 10/10

"Le Gouffre" is a short animated French film that is amazing in some ways and could use some more work in others. However, most importantly, if left me wanting to see more from the team responsible for making it!It's important to point out that the story is told without words--so don't worry about having to read subtitles. It begins with two men coming to a huge gorge with no bridge to cross it. Through the course of the film, the pair begin constructing a bridge and with some help from the locals it looks like they might just be able to cross after all.The story is extremely simple. But the film really impressed me with its cinematic qualities. The music is by far the best thing about the film. It fits perfectly and really gets your blood pounding. The background CGI is also very nice and the film looks amazing. However, my reason for scoring it with only a 6 is that the rendering of the figures isn't great and looks dated and a bit creepy even though the film is new. Animating realistic humans using computers is NOT easy. This, however, can be overcome with experience and better software. Combine improving this with the great style and I really think these folks are headed on the right path.

The story itself is compelling and has a message that will appeal to the broadest audience of pretty much anyone in the world. Also of great interest to many will be the behind the scenes story about the story and the making of this unusual independent film by first time production group. The creative energy and artistic vision in this film is nothing less than phenomenal. It will grab your attention from head to toe with exciting action, touch your heart with dramatic impact, and make you think with deep insight of what real courage means and how people pull together in adversity. When is the last time you saw a film that did all of that, all at the same time, all in about 10 minutes? Most notable is the musical soundtrack! This is the most inspiring film score there is to hear today. Definitely put on your headphones or turn up the big speakers for this one.

Beautifully produced animation with naturalistic human movements and incredibly detailed landscape. As a crowd funded project from a small independent studio it is an outstanding achievement.Moving and inspiring, it tells the story of two young traveller's attempt to cross a deep impassable gorge and the way they become involved with local community.The end of the story line is really touching, emotionally charged and surprising. There is only a tiny amount of dialogue and so the music is an extremely important part of the story telling. The score, by UK based Dan & Deryn Cullen, captures the atmosphere of the story line and drives the emotional content brilliantly.In particular Deryn Cullen's cello playing throughout the score is emotionally charged but subtle, never intrusive and especially touching during the closing credits.