Directed by: Catya Plate Written by: Catya Plate Genre: Animation Length: 10 minutes |
Meeting MacGuffin
Taking place in a desolate future, "Meeting MacGuffin" chronicles the journey of a sign post, as it reassembles a handful of humans using leftover body parts; in an attempt to repopulate a human-less earth. This attempt to restore humanity comes with conditions that must be met to continue this experiment. As these new humans, the "Homies" are thrust into the world we're left with, one burning question remains. Can humanity be rebooted? Can these pieced together people fight off their inherent greed and survive? The "signpost" seems to think so, but the climatologist groundhog, MacGuffin, has his doubts it seems. We'll have to wait until the next chapter for any answers but this one, "Meeting MacGuffin" was one heck of a trip.
Let me cut to the chase. Catya Plate's short film is both beautiful and frightening. The imagery at times is borderline grotesque, but also strangely childlike. The visual mix is highly engaging and really keeps your eyes glued to the screen. As for the story itself? I couldn't help but be reminded of "Frankenstein" and maybe a dash of "Corpse Bride" for good measure. I would really like to say that children may really enjoy this, and maybe even learn something. That is, if they don't get a little scared first. "Meeting MacGuffin" is at times eerie for myself, and adult - it "could" be outright scary for a kid. The message of the film itself is not anything new. We all know, deep inside, that we are poisoning our planet. Plate's depiction of our future, and visual portrayal, may be a little scary at times but perhaps that's the point. A little uncomfortable fear never hurt anyone, and there's nothing pretty about where things are going in the real world. Nothing pretty at all. Another thing I noticed when watching was this. Within the unusual, and sometimes unsettling imagery lay a sense of humor. The overall idea itself is funny. Not so much the end of the world, rather the new inhabitants. Even the character design and back drops contain a slice of comedy. This is a title you'll want to watch carefully, maybe even multiple times to see some of the clever jokes. "Meeting MacGuffin" was something different. To my eyes at least. With a sound story, interesting characters and that little bit of WTF to spice things up, I can't think of any reason not to have enjoyed this short film. Here's looking forward to the continuation. I can't wait. |
