Write on Film

I’m not  afraid of the dark, I’m afraid of the evil it conceals…

Not that I’d want to slot Fear(s) of the Dark into a box, but this animated release in the UK seems to me to be finally following up where Sylvian Chomet’s Belleville Rendez-vous left off. Proving that France is a nation creatively and actively pushing the boundaries of animations reception on the big screen.

The film opens amazingly well with a punchy and catchy Saul Bass inspired credits sequence (quite possibly my favourite openings for a film so far this year). But I think one look at at W.O.F.s design will let you know I’m likely to be a little impartial on all things Bass-esque.

The film is a mix of short animations by 10 various celebrated cult, underground and graphic artists on the theme of ‘Fears of the Dark’ (all of which are also in striking black and white). The films offers up a real eclectic mix of animated styles, narratives and non narratives that sit together as individual animated segments or intertwine and flow throughout the film.

Its fragmented nature makes it quite hard for me to pull together a single opinion of the film, as I found some sections more engaging and successful than others. But hey I guess this could be said of all films in a way everyone has their ‘favourite bits’, so I’m going to take the easy way out and pick out two standout sections for me…

First up was the segment by Lorenzo Mattotti & Jerry Kramsky. The style of animation had a very soft and smooth charcoal like quality to it, which stood out against the majority of others which opted for a very graphic solid black and white look. Told from the p.o.v. of a young village boy, the segment tells of a small rural village attempting to deal with an unknown beast that stalks and slaughters its townfolk in the dead of night. I enjoyed its eerily calm fable like quality that worked in harmony with the soft illustrated style.

Secondly, and easily my favourite, was the closing segment by Richard McGuire and Michel Pirus (see image at top of post) that follows a lone man seeking refuge from a blizzard in a seemingly abandoned house. There was something so simple and unique (so simple it could have easily passed me by) but truly complex  about the animation style used that comprised simply of solid white shapes on a black backdrop. The use of these shapes alone, successfully built up scenes of depth, shape and expression very effectively. The clean graphic visuals worked well with a simple, dialogue free narrative that played on issues of isolation and paranoia- overall this piece resonated the most with my own irrational fear of the dark.

To take these two as isolated films would allow them to sit among some of my favourite shorts- however, I think I need to judge the film as a sum of its parts. Sadly its a total sum which left me disappointed as it felt inconsistent and not quite whole. But I applaud Fear(s) of the Dark for its concept and originality as well as how it helps give animation a much needed new cinematic voice.

Fear(s) of the Dark is in cinemas from October the 3rd

 LIAF | Fear(s) of the Dark | Dir. Various | France
Friday 5th September | Renoir | 7pm | £10 (although various festival passes are available)