Wind is even better than Smash and Grab, and that’s saying a lot. SparkShorts, it turns out, are some of the best short films I’ve ever seen. And they’re quite different from each other, with unique settings, characters, and stories.
This one, for instance, nearly made me weep. Even if you guess what’s going to happen, the final shots are brutal. You know how Pixar movies are famous for gut-punching you in your emotions? Well, Wind is that in under ten minutes. Is it as impactful as that one scene from Up? Almost, actually.
The premise of it is less grounded in reality than that movie or the other shorts, though. There’s certainly no guessable backstory—and there shouldn’t be. It’s symbolism through and through. Somehow, someway, a grandmother and her grandson are in a strange wind tunnel pit. Stuff floats up, but never all the way up. The visuals and worldbuilding of it are honestly interesting enough to carry a feature-length movie. The ever-present danger of the rocks flying around makes for solid tension. I’d read a sci-fi book with a similar world.
But, again, that’s not what Wind is about. Avoiding spoilers is difficult, especially with a runtime like this, but an easy interpretation is that of generational sacrifice. The things our parents and grandparents do for us. It’s quite possible to find “literal” plot holes in this story, but that would be entirely missing the point. The last few seconds of this movie speak volumes.
Needless to say, I recommend this little movie. The animation, the sound design, and the story are all incredible. If it wasn’t for its likelihood to reduce most people to tears, I’d recommend this short film to anyone, anytime. Wind is what art is for.
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