Float: An Impactful Tale Of Parenting

Float Has A Very Clear Message It Is Trying To Say

Float marks the last of the currently available SparkShorts that are solidly within the science fiction/fantasy genre. What I’ve seen of the other ones is excellent, though, and you should watch all of them.

But as to Float, this is another metaphorical story like Wind. The metaphor is a lot more immediately obvious this time around, even having a direct ending card that spells it out. There’s not a lot of dialog in this one, but the one major line of it is exactly what you would expect. It’s not trying to surprise; it may be trying to instruct, however.

This Short Film Is All About A Particular Experience

That said, I’m not a parent. So, it’s slightly harder to judge how effective this portrayal is regarding this specific scenario. Clearly, it is a story with a personal history behind it, but I can only work from its broad applicability in my assessment. For instance, Float has scenes of tacit or active judgment from other parents—and certainly, it gets across the sense of isolation that being observed can evoke. Using supernatural powers as an allegory for differences of any kind is well-worn, sure, but it works extremely well here. Flying—as a superpower—has specific connotations of freedom and joy. And adding more and more rocks to the backpack is, well, a very layered counterpoint.  

As to the technical side of things, Float has perhaps the best cinematography of all the shorts I’ve reviewed. The scene where the dad collapses against the door manages to use the layout of a house, naturalistic lighting, and multiple axes of motion to get across a singular idea in one moment. That’s the power of filmmaking right there.

Float basically accomplishes everything it seems to want to express. Each scene gets across a message, and the final moments are joyous in exactly the way that might make you cry. I can’t say it’s my favorite of the three SparkShorts I’ve reviewed, but its excellence is unquestionable.

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