Sparrow (I) (2016) User Reviews

a gem of wisdom

[Kirpianuscus · 10 April 2022]

For many reasons, a film deserving be loved. In profound sense. A boy , his wings, a sparrow , the story about his brave grandfather and the discovered truth about the courage, more than intense, the lesson used against bullies and the beautiful way to define yourself.

Short, an admirable gem about love, trust in yourself, power of truth, courage to be only yourself, against pressures.

Very nicely done little film

[rklein123 · 9/10 · 21 April 2023]

This film takes some thought, which is, I think, a good thing. It packs a lot into just 15 minutes, and does it very nicely.

If you're looking for light, thoughtless entertainment, it's unlikely you'll really enjoy this. But if you're willing to make an investment into the story and the allegorical imagery, you'll likely be impressed.

It's about a little boy who is different, and bullied. There is a clearly strained relationship between the boy and his apparently single father. An old portrait photo of the boy's grandfather that dominates the living room of their home suggests a place of honor in their memory.

But the boy learns of a different truth that shatters the family myth about his courageous grandfather, and is inspired to courage by the truth.

The sparrow is the single thread linking the stories of the boy and of his grandfather.

Overall, the film is beautiful to look at. Terrific cinematography, and superb acting throughout.

Wonderful cinematic craft is especially obvious in the flashback scenes of the boy's family history, where we see the truth behind the story.

There is a elegantly depicted scene of love, devotion, and courage that takes place in the trenches of World War II - which is one of the defining moments of the film.

The final scene is beautiful, as the boy sets free the spirit of his long dead grandfather.

Beautifully shot, but story does not succeed

[Davalon-Davalon · 5/10 · 6 January 2021]

I see how many competition mentions this short film has received. And for a short film, it's extremely ambitious and covers a lot of territory. It is shot very beautifully, so that at first glance it seems like a feature. I don't know how the director got some of these shots, especially the ones of the crowds waiting for the soldiers to ship off (or return). And on top of this, the majority of this short film is a period piece, taking place during one of the world wars (I'm going to say WWII, but sorry, it wasn't instantly clear).

That said, the story of a young boy who is constantly wearing a pair of home-made "wings" wherever he goes, coupled with the "discovery" letters from his closeted gay grandfather (who fought in the war and apparently lost the love of his life in it -- and the accompanying images that come to life as a result) does not come about naturally.

It doesn't make any sense that the grandfather's letters had never been opened. They were just dumped with the grandfather's things into a drawer and apparently his own son wasn't curious enough to open them? Which... I guess he was going to do someday, but never does? So, it falls to the gay grandson, who inexplicably decides one day to do just that.

Leading up to that are moments of cruel bullying in school, a teacher who grabs a drawing out of the boy's hands (but then, he was supposed to be doing his schoolwork, not drawing a bird), and moments with his (apparently) single dad who does his best to get the boy to learn how to defend himself. In fact, I thought the father was the best actor in it because he seemed very real to me.

After the two stories "dovetail" into some sort of bizarre fantasy sequence in which the boy stumbles into some weird forgotten "rooms of the past," each with an old, forgotten, injured or troubled soldier/patient in them, he finds a room in which a sparrow has apparently either been hiding and/or has been wounded and doesn't know how to get out. The boy lifts the sparrow (I don't know how they were able to do this without the bird panicking and flying off) and "sets" the bird free. Over this fantasy sequence, a Tom Waits-wannabe singer drones on about something very, very heavy-handed, and then... the film ends.

So, if you are into tons of symbolism and can allow yourself to slip into a real, yet imaginary world, you might enjoy it. I thought the cinematography was great, but I did not think the story was coherent enough for the number of awards this film has received. I apparently am in the minority, and that is fine with me.