Solstice

A magical and emotional animated short film made by 3D animator and independent filmmaker Luke Angus.

Just explaining that 'solstice' refers to the period that occurs twice each year, when the sun reaches its minimum or maximum declination. And this is relevant to this short's plot which will be described below.

The story takes place in the Arctic Circle, where a male Inuit, who wears glasses, lives in isolation. Inside his igloo, he has a board, where he has inserted a large number of nails in a way that creates horizontal and vertical lines and everyday, he places a fishhook on a nail and the next day, he places it on the one to its right, creating a personal calendar. The reason for this is to count the days until the sun vanishes, leaving only the night sky, which is what the hero looks forward to so that his lost partner 'returns' and they can temporalily be together again.

Angus worked solo on this project over the course of nearly four years and the result is fantastic. The story, the visuals and the music are terrific, all of which will be analysed below.

The narrative is about a heartbroken person whose sole purpose appears to be to remember the wonderful times he had with his departed and beloved partner. The reason he longs for the sun to go away is because when he was with his partner, they used to play a game where they would look at the stars in the sky at night and, using their imagination, would visualize shapes of all sort being formed by the stars. And so, the hurt but strong and determined Inuit waits for the temporary but lengthy period of night-time to arrive, which helps him remember the joys he had with his lost love and vividly imagine that she is alive. It is a poignant but beautiful story.

Angus clearly utilises his animation experience very strongly, as the film looks fabulous. The colours and the lighting powefully create a snow-covered, isolated location, as well as a sky covered with shining stars. Everything just looks perfect in computer animation, including the likeable characters. Special mention goes to the way the flashbacks of the couple's past happiness are presented, that being like coming from a film projector.

The music is another massive plus, absolutely terrific. ANBR, Spearfisher and Turpak use their abilities and develop melodies that perfectly accompany the images. Since there is no speech in this short, as far as the audio goes, it is up to the score to generate emotions and it succeeds spotlessly, creating uplifting and melancholic moments via somber piano pieces, upbeat tones and dynamic orchestral music.

The concepts of isolation and living in the Arctic are taken into account, however, the core of this story is coping with loss and grief. Additionally, it also concerns romance, reminiscing the past and holding onto meaningful moments. Crucially, it acknowledges the idea of a person wanting to remember a loved one who passed away.

Huge commendations go to this heart-warming and moving achievement that offers 11 minutes of pure magic. One would be expected to look forward to Angus's next project