This silent short film has much in common with the world of fairytales and will enchant viewers with its gentle music and colours, all while prodding us to think about certain values.
The old man’s wordless journey is accompanied by a beautiful soundscape, including footsteps on the snow, Celtic music and more, all making the film an invitation to an aural stroll as much as anything else. The colours of this musical landscape are soft and tender, dominated by the grey-blue and faded pink that also appear on the old man’s cape and the roof of his house.
Thus the film assumes the guise of a fairytale: set in an unspecified place, a village in the middle of snow-covered mountains, an old man connected to a strange mission, and the motif of a gleaming clock. All this serves to carry viewers into a world bordering on magic, fantasy and picturesque folklore.
The way the camera plays with scale shots (big/small, far/near) is especially well done. At the start of the film, for instance, the scale ratio deftly reveals, from image to image, the frame of the action.
The little boy’s presence in the house – a little boy who is going to hog the melodious timepiece earned by his elderly grandfather – introduces the idea of passing on from one generation to another: and, sure enough, the two characters have to act together to transform the old man’s mission … As they do that, the film invites viewers to think about sharing, working together and considering the notion of the “collective”.
Lastly, we may wonder about the metaphorical significance of the clock given to the old man: might that also be part of the director’s creative scheming? Once shown, and given in return for a welcome deed, the clock can be seen as forming a new community – much like a film can form a bond with its viewers.
If you like films that immerse you in fairytale-like world, Awaker is right up your street!
