Fallen Art (2004)

A volunteer soldier plummets to his death. A photograph is taken and sent by courier to a huge man, who adds it to his macabre collection.

Director:

Tomasz Baginski

Writer:

Tomasz Baginski

Stars:

Arkadiusz Jakubik, Marcin Kudelka, Dariusz Toczek

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Arkadiusz Jakubik	...	Voice (voice)
Marcin Kudelka	...	Voice (voice)
Dariusz Toczek	...	Voice (voice)

Storyline

A volunteer soldier plummets to his death. A photograph is taken and sent by courier to a huge man, who adds it to his macabre collection.

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Plot Keywords:

death | soldier | macabre | photograph | coughing | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Animation | Short

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site

Country:

Poland

Language:

None

Release Date:

23 September 2004 (Poland)

Also Known As:

Fallen Art

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Platige Image

Technical Specs

Runtime:

6 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

no soldiers were harmed during production of this film

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Connections

Edited into The Animation Show 2005 (2005)

User Reviews

Amused me with the macabre content but left me wanting an understanding which it didn't provide

In a long deserted military base a high rickety tower stands high above the ground. At the top is an officer awarding medals to damaged soldiers who survived the war before pushing them to their death on the ground far below. At this point their corpses are photographed by another sinister man and the resulting image sent to his employer far from the site.

This is the whole plot of the short, apart from the detail of the ending which I'll not spoil beyond saying that it is oddly comic and darkly weird. In terms of straight animation the ideas and the creation of them are good as the short looks good but also seems to mix styles and produce animation techniques within other animation techniques. It also is delivered with a real sinister air that works well with the more comic (but still sinister) conclusion. So on this level I liked it as a film, but on the downside I did feel like it left me hanging a little bit.

It plays like a comment on the disposable nature of life to some within the military (this is a Polish film) whereas from a slightly different angle it appears to be commenting on the treatment of soldiers who no longer serve a use on the battlefield. And I could go on – there are a couple of different readings of this film but it doesn't really help the viewer to appreciate them. If there is a serious point here then the comic ending rather detracts from the seriousness of it; conversely if there is only a rather macabre creative theme to the short, the specifics of the start seem very, well, "specific" for there not to be a pointed commentary aspect to it.

Fallen Art still works as a short animation though and it is well created with a dark and sinister air to the comic of the grotesque. I just wish that it had been clearer to the viewer in regards what it was trying to be/do.