Without any dialogue, Drops is a short film that invites us into a poetic world in which colours and sounds communicate with each other. The film opens with a daring fall from the sky accompanied by crystal-clear sounds and the blowing of the wind. Piano tinkles signal the arrival of the falling rain, drop by drop, before two little blue-clad characters appear. While the film leaves sounds and music to establish much of the atmosphere, all the sets, nature and the rain people are handpainted in watercolour. This animated painting technique is a particularly clever choice. The other striking thing about this short film are the feelings of joy and fulfilment that never seem to leave the characters. Even when danger looms, an atmosphere of profound gentleness prevails, backed up by the discreet sound of the piano. So when the rain people start dancing, viewers are wowed by the beauty of animated watercolour and the oriental touches. The choreography of the blue-clad characters is evocative of some of the great pictorial works, such as those of Matisse. But their fleeting existence, and the very refined visual style, also bring to mind the great eastern philosophies, indicating that birth, death and re-emergence are part of the same grand cycle. We are thus reminded of worlds like the ones inhabited by The Red Turtle or Urashima Taro. If you want to suspend time for a moment and slide into a world of deep gentleness, then watch this lovely little film as soon as you can.
