Friday, April 14, 2006

If You Were Me: Anima Vision

Six animated films are made for the Human Rights Commission of Korea and each film has a different director and deals with different issues.

Day Dream is about discrimination against handicapped children. It shows a father and a handicapped daughter having an afternoon nap and the day dreams that they are having. Very nicely drawn with a water color painting feel and the stories are well narrated!

Animal Farm is about accepting diversity and not ostracising the odd-one-out. It shows a goat trying very hard to join a flock of sheep in the things that they do but is prevented by the chief sheep. Quite cute to see how the goat comes up with very innovative ideas!

At Her House is about the stresses faced by women doing the housework and looking after the child. It depicts how the wife gets drowned in all the chores that she has to do while the husband just relaxes and watches TV. Liked how the emotional states of the couple are depicted figuratively!

The Flesh and Bone is about discrimination against ugly people. It describes how an ugly family came about through the genes inherited from their great grandfather generation. Very interesting narration on the family history!

Bicycle Trip is about discrimination against illegal immigrants as employers exploit them because of their status. A driverless bicycle rides through the streets and flashbacks are shown at the locations that it stops. Very effective use of flashbacks!

Be A Human Being is about discrimination against people with low academic qualifications. A bunch of animals attend cram school with a human as a teacher and they are told that they can only become human beings when they complete university. The main character is a gorilla who liked collecting insects and discovers one day that he could transform to a human being when he pursues his interest in the forest! There is a twist in the end which I won't reveal here but I felt that it is very touching!

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