I was impressed by this animated short. It had some very clever animation and provided an interesting take on a Greek myth. Can't remember the name, but I think it's about this man who tries to eat fruit from a tree, but every time he reaches for it, it gets eaten away by giant birds. That's his eternal punishment, kinda like Sysiphos, who rolls his rock up a mountain just to see it roll down every time he reaches the top. Finally found a short that I admired, and that had something to say too. 8/10
11 Reviews
Short and Spooky Parable
rmax30482318 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This eight-minute animated short film has more atmosphere, more dread, than a dozen slasher movies put together. A man rescues a strange, bird-like creature who is being strangled on a public street. He takes it home.
The thing is a harpy, a woman with a bird's body, derived from Greek myths. It does only one thing -- snatching food out of human hands. Well -- this one is also capable of eating half its host, removing his body parts from the waist down.
The harpy comes to dominate its rescuer's life. He begins to starve, sneaks out the door, tries to disguise himself as a statue, and chows down on some pomme frites, but the creature finds him and snatches the tidbits from his hand.
Finally he attacks the harpy and begins to strangle it, just as its previous host had done, but a police officer runs up and bops the man on the head. We can only imagine what the police officer's life is going to be like, now that he's acquired this half-avian companion.
There is no eerie music, none of the usual accompaniments of the unearthly tale, but every scene takes place at night and, with two slight exceptions, no one else is present.
The original harpies were limited in their mischief to grabbing things out of your hands before you hand a chance to enjoy them, kind of like those long-tailed birds called "camp robbers" or like my ex wife, but in later tales they became vengeful, punishing those who had committed evil deeds, having been confused with the Eumenides or the Furies.
It's short, but it's effective too.
The thing is a harpy, a woman with a bird's body, derived from Greek myths. It does only one thing -- snatching food out of human hands. Well -- this one is also capable of eating half its host, removing his body parts from the waist down.
The harpy comes to dominate its rescuer's life. He begins to starve, sneaks out the door, tries to disguise himself as a statue, and chows down on some pomme frites, but the creature finds him and snatches the tidbits from his hand.
Finally he attacks the harpy and begins to strangle it, just as its previous host had done, but a police officer runs up and bops the man on the head. We can only imagine what the police officer's life is going to be like, now that he's acquired this half-avian companion.
There is no eerie music, none of the usual accompaniments of the unearthly tale, but every scene takes place at night and, with two slight exceptions, no one else is present.
The original harpies were limited in their mischief to grabbing things out of your hands before you hand a chance to enjoy them, kind of like those long-tailed birds called "camp robbers" or like my ex wife, but in later tales they became vengeful, punishing those who had committed evil deeds, having been confused with the Eumenides or the Furies.
It's short, but it's effective too.
Beware the oddly alluring winged thing that whoops and snatches in the night...she hungers!
Foreverisacastironmess1231 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Okay, so this is a short that I can honestly say is unlike any other I've ever seen, and it's about a man who saves a harpy from death and then soon comes to realise that sometimes no good deed goes unpunished and ends up exactly half the man he used to be... It's visually very interesting and different, being a kind of Gothic mix of live-action and strange jerking animation-like motion that gives it an old fashioned spooky tone and style of the 'fantasmagorie' I thought. The design and makeup of the bird woman is quite nightmarish and creepy at points. Very weird mix of sensual and savage. And the ending where it's revealed that everything that's happened has been some manner of cycle between the harpy and her would be saviours is pretty chilling, especially the evil smile she gives the latest soon-to-be victim. That ending really solidly makes it a horror short for me, and it makes me wonder if perhaps Dario Argento used the idea when he made his excellent Masters of Horror episode "Jenifer". Fantastic scary short with bizarre and eerie use of one of the classic mythological monsters. Caw!
Artsy.
planktonrules28 June 2017
This animated film from Canada is very well made but it's also a film that probably most viewers would probably not seek out for themselves. As an art film, you have to respect the time and energy it went into it but commercially it just isn't very satisfying.
The film consists of images scratched onto a black background. The film consists of a variety of odd shapes and designs with no anthropomorphic images at all. The images appear and disappear and seem to move to the music. In fact, this is the part that impressed me so much--the animation and music did film perfectly together. However, after initially being impressed, I soon grew tired of this. Even though the film was short, it wasn't short enough for me and a little of this seems to go a very long way.
Overall, interesting and you have to respect the effort but also not the average person would watch.
The film consists of images scratched onto a black background. The film consists of a variety of odd shapes and designs with no anthropomorphic images at all. The images appear and disappear and seem to move to the music. In fact, this is the part that impressed me so much--the animation and music did film perfectly together. However, after initially being impressed, I soon grew tired of this. Even though the film was short, it wasn't short enough for me and a little of this seems to go a very long way.
Overall, interesting and you have to respect the effort but also not the average person would watch.
Disturbing portrait
ellkew10 June 2002
I saw this when I was very young and have never forgotten it. I recently unearthed it and was still very disturbed by it. It seems to have a direct affect on me and I find the harpya itself quite terrifying. Waiting for it to appear as the poor man is trying to escape is extremely tense and makes me feels very anxious. It is a disturbing portrait of how life has spiralled out of control for the protagonist and he is now kept trapped by this strange creature, forced to be subservient to it and pander to its hungry needs. A nightmarish film which has stayed with me for many years. As disturbing as The Vanishing(original) or Eraserhead but due to its length leaves a strong aftertaste that remains. Powerful stuff and unique.
Genuinely creepy, a masterpiece at its best!
Stryde222 October 2005
I must say now that i rarely give any movie as high a rating as I've done here. I saw this short film on Eat Carpet in the middle of the night with a couple of friends and by the time it was finished we were so paranoid that our feet were tucked up on the couch with us. this short is absolutely brilliant. it uses a surreal texture drawn collage background with delayed-frame images in the foreground to create artistic and unsettling atmosphere. the harpy itself looks terrifying, especially when it feeds. the musical score fits brilliantly with the somewhat shocking messiness of the harpy's actions. the absence of words adds to the atmosphere. it is truly creepy there is honestly nothing that i can say is wrong with this film. it is perfect and is one of the only things I've seen that has actually truly creeped me out. i strongly recommend that anybody and everybody views this movie alone in the dark when u already feel insecure and uneasy. it is truly amazing!
A bit undecided on this one
Horst_In_Translation13 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Harpya" is a 1979, 8.5-minute short film written and directed by Belgian filmmaker Raoul Servais. I personally am not sure if I felt it looked amateurish or good in terms of the animation style. it certainly looks different than the usual and this is probably also why this little movie won big at Cannes, maybe Servais' biggest career achievement being way almost 90 years old now. There is a touch of fantasy and a touch of horror in here and I genuinely wonder why the man did not simply flee. I would have with such a scary mythological creature making these noises. Actually I would have run for my life right away when seeing her. So yeah, the film does not make too much sense in terms of the plot and that is why overall I did not enjoy the watch and cannot agree with the Cannes Film Festival on this one. Do not watch.
short+animation+depth=a 10 out of 10 piece of work
krebstar28 September 2001
a man saves an "interesting" type of bird's life and takes it to his home. but the bird (or bird like human or whatever) slowly starts to ruin the man's freedom to eat or to go outside. all the food is eaten by the so called "bird" and while the man is trying to escape, bird eats his lower part of the body. with the help of a phonograph, he manages to escape from the house but cannot escape from his destiny.
this 9 minute masterpiece has used the animation techniques very smartly although it has been done in 1979. the idea was not explained with cliché techniques either. from the film I understood that a man who helps another might dig his own grave by doing this. cause the one whom you have helped may not help you back. besides he/she can even harm you. so I think this short film was arguing whether one should be individualistic or not (with a pessimistic view.
a must see for all short film and animation addicts.
this 9 minute masterpiece has used the animation techniques very smartly although it has been done in 1979. the idea was not explained with cliché techniques either. from the film I understood that a man who helps another might dig his own grave by doing this. cause the one whom you have helped may not help you back. besides he/she can even harm you. so I think this short film was arguing whether one should be individualistic or not (with a pessimistic view.
a must see for all short film and animation addicts.
creepy, funny, disturbing, weird, confusing...
framptonhollis23 January 2018
I had never heard of this film until less than a half hour ago and now that I've seen it I cannot believe it had ever escaped my knowledge previously! THIS is what filmmaking is all about! It's damn brilliant, and one of the creepiest films I've ever seen, regardless of length. It's a bit confusing as there is likely a bit more context one would need in order to totally understand the overall point of the film (harpies obviously come from mythology, and it feels like this short contains many references to said mythology and may be a parable of sorts); however, regardless of my knowledge on other matters, "Harpya" was one fun ride! It's highly experimental, utilizing a bizarre technique combining animation and live action to eerie effects...basically the definition of the "uncanny valley". It also seemed to have a surreal sense of black humor that recalls the great Jan Svankmajer, an animation genius who I admire above most other filmmakers, so a recollection of him in favorable response to a film is always a good sign from me!
Excellent animated short offers a new spin on Greek mythology
Leofwine_draca25 July 2016
I've always enjoyed short films and this animated effort is one of the best I've seen. Created by Belgian auteur Raoul Servais, it's a simple reworking of a legend from ancient Greece, that of the harpy who torments men by eating all of their food. Servais uses animation to great effect, as real actors are transformed and become people living in a make-believe world that looks quirky and beautiful at the same time.
Eliciting excellent performances from the two leads, Will Spoor and Fran Waller Zeper, this eight-minute feature is utterly weird and often horrific, and it's currently doing the Internet rounds on account of its scary nature. Its top-class animation makes it unmissable for those with an interest in the arts while in the meantime it stands alone as a horror film far more terrifying than 90% of recent genre fare.
Eliciting excellent performances from the two leads, Will Spoor and Fran Waller Zeper, this eight-minute feature is utterly weird and often horrific, and it's currently doing the Internet rounds on account of its scary nature. Its top-class animation makes it unmissable for those with an interest in the arts while in the meantime it stands alone as a horror film far more terrifying than 90% of recent genre fare.
Unsettling
Hitchcoc2 May 2019
A man is strangling a harpy, a mythological beast. The protagonist saves the harpy which turns to be a big mistake. The thing moves in with him, devouring every last bit of food the guy has, not allowing him to eat anything. It also is terribly dangerous and in one instance causes irreparable harm. The poor guy is beset by this thing. But remember in mythology, the harpy's role was to torment human or even gods who did something wrong. This is a really harsh film.
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