After Melan & Chory (review you can see here) I bring you a small review for Children by Takuya Okada, published in his Youtube channel in June 2011 (here). Similarly with his first short-movie, Children brings us Humanity's darkest side, this time through school institution and, in general, through adult's vision of childhood, not only in Japan (this can be seen as a social critic) but all over the World.
The first shoot shows us a character looking into the empty. His characterization is very peculiar from the beginning, particularly due to the zipper that replaces his mouth.
The image now goes to a black dog that runs in his direction but ends up being run over by a train.
The boy is motionless staring at the dog and ends up continuing his path. We see that the character is a student because he brings a backpack with him.
The image now goes to a black dog that runs in his direction but ends up being run over by a train.
The boy is motionless staring at the dog and ends up continuing his path. We see that the character is a student because he brings a backpack with him.
As the camera goes up we see the city, filled with factories and a grey sky. Everything is the same. More than that, the only sounds we hear until now are the wind, the train and the dog, the wind again, cold and horrifying.
The title appears and with it comes a music that intensifies the environment, Chopin's Funeral March.
In school, the teacher writes on a chalkboard without facing his student one single time, while they quickly copy their lesson. We can see that all the children are alike, all with the zipper in their mouths and the only distinguishable element between them is the number on their heads.
We go outside and the teacher (using a mask) is the referee of a football game. The children, once again, don't show any enthusiasm and merely run from one side to the other in an uniform and choreographed way. The result keeps the same throughout the game and when one of the teams manages to win, a student from the adversary team goes to score a goal while the rest stare (even the goalkeeper stays still), all so the result can remain even.
The teacher's mask can represent some ideas, one of them, the fact that he must pretend to be happy with his profession and his World, even though he despises both. For example, later, when the students fight him, his corporal expression shows fear and preoccupation while his mark keeps smiling. He's an ideal.
Inside the room, the teacher returns some tests to the students. All the grades are the same, the best they can have. An allegory to the Japanese desire of perfection and bright students.
At the end of the day, the students march back home. 4483, the protagonist (if we can call him that), prepares himself to watch the dog's death again, doing nothing, showing no emotion.
In the next day, we see the students drawing. Once again, all are the same. Once again, we have the cruel reality that their aspirations and desires are the same. A city filled with chimneys, grey, lifeless.
The title appears and with it comes a music that intensifies the environment, Chopin's Funeral March.
In school, the teacher writes on a chalkboard without facing his student one single time, while they quickly copy their lesson. We can see that all the children are alike, all with the zipper in their mouths and the only distinguishable element between them is the number on their heads.
We go outside and the teacher (using a mask) is the referee of a football game. The children, once again, don't show any enthusiasm and merely run from one side to the other in an uniform and choreographed way. The result keeps the same throughout the game and when one of the teams manages to win, a student from the adversary team goes to score a goal while the rest stare (even the goalkeeper stays still), all so the result can remain even.
The teacher's mask can represent some ideas, one of them, the fact that he must pretend to be happy with his profession and his World, even though he despises both. For example, later, when the students fight him, his corporal expression shows fear and preoccupation while his mark keeps smiling. He's an ideal.
Inside the room, the teacher returns some tests to the students. All the grades are the same, the best they can have. An allegory to the Japanese desire of perfection and bright students.
At the end of the day, the students march back home. 4483, the protagonist (if we can call him that), prepares himself to watch the dog's death again, doing nothing, showing no emotion.
In the next day, we see the students drawing. Once again, all are the same. Once again, we have the cruel reality that their aspirations and desires are the same. A city filled with chimneys, grey, lifeless.
It's only in the middle of the movie that we start having some hope for these kids and this universe. While receiving their tests, 4483 starts showing some kind of sentiment. Looking at his test he thinks about their drawings, the always happy teacher. The music stops momentarily, giving place to a confusing sound. But just like the music, will this only be a temporary change? In the end will all be restored? Will it become the same?
When the teacher gets that something is wrong, he keeps smiling and verifies in the students' records who he is. He's unable to distinguish them. He doesn't know their names or where they come from. Only verifies the papers. It's an impersonal and mechanic relation.
Suddenly, 4483's zipper breaks, making him free a silent shout. He wants to rebel, but maybe he doesn't know how to shout, maybe he doesn't really know how to express himself. On the other side, he can finally breathe freedom.
His classmates repeat the gesture, all the school does. But are they really free? In the street, we can see that all run the same way, in the same formation they did some scenes ago. In a certain way, they continue mirroring one another, they continue following someone. They don't have any kind of personality.
The dog returns. This time, 4483 won't stay indifferent. He runs to the dog and both of them end up being ran over. On the ground, the boy seems dead and the dog runs away. He can change all he wants but the World will continue the same, ignoring him, repeating itself over and over (this represented by the dog, indifferent to his suffering).
The music stops. His march ends.
When the teacher gets that something is wrong, he keeps smiling and verifies in the students' records who he is. He's unable to distinguish them. He doesn't know their names or where they come from. Only verifies the papers. It's an impersonal and mechanic relation.
Suddenly, 4483's zipper breaks, making him free a silent shout. He wants to rebel, but maybe he doesn't know how to shout, maybe he doesn't really know how to express himself. On the other side, he can finally breathe freedom.
His classmates repeat the gesture, all the school does. But are they really free? In the street, we can see that all run the same way, in the same formation they did some scenes ago. In a certain way, they continue mirroring one another, they continue following someone. They don't have any kind of personality.
The dog returns. This time, 4483 won't stay indifferent. He runs to the dog and both of them end up being ran over. On the ground, the boy seems dead and the dog runs away. He can change all he wants but the World will continue the same, ignoring him, repeating itself over and over (this represented by the dog, indifferent to his suffering).
The music stops. His march ends.
Surprisingly, 4483 is still alive. We finally hear the first Human sound (until here we can only hear, among others, chalk, papers, the train). A laugh. Although is visible that only death awaits him, 4483 is happy. He could finally follow his instincts, he could finally feel something. He's free. He's alive.
The camera goes up and we see a black smoke cloud in the middle of the city. Is there any hope for these children? Or will they continue to follow someone, destroying their city more and more. After all, none of them tried to save the dog. None of them tried to be different.
The camera goes up and we see a black smoke cloud in the middle of the city. Is there any hope for these children? Or will they continue to follow someone, destroying their city more and more. After all, none of them tried to save the dog. None of them tried to be different.
We are before a Society that defends equality to the extreme. We are all the same, we don't have to think, we don't have to talk, we must only obey. No one can be better than the others (the football game remains even). This idea can be supported also by the music: the children march to their own death, into a world of copies, emotionless, thoughtless.
I like this short pretty much, compared to Melan & Chory. We can clearly see his evolution in terms of animation, soundtrack (music and sound effects) and also in terms of narrative, provoking a stronger reaction in the audience, going further away in problems that might seem irrelevant but are really important to our society, which promotes more and more an idea of equality and loss of creativity.
I like this short pretty much, compared to Melan & Chory. We can clearly see his evolution in terms of animation, soundtrack (music and sound effects) and also in terms of narrative, provoking a stronger reaction in the audience, going further away in problems that might seem irrelevant but are really important to our society, which promotes more and more an idea of equality and loss of creativity.
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