A gorgeous treat for the eyes and a balm for the ears, Jonas and the Sea represents an incredible journey for animated cinema. This short film is like a water-based ballet, literally plunging us into the dreamworld of Jonas, a lonely character in thrall to a profound obsession with the sea. Ever since he was a little kid, this anti-hero has aspired to living a quiet and relaxing life among the fish. Seeking ways to achieve this impossible dream, Jonas has spent his whole life imagining strange inventions made from a whole raft of items collected on the beach. But with each new attempt, his utopian yearning is exposed as pure illusion.
With the delicate touch and gorgeous look and feel we have come to expect from the universe she has created, Marlies van der Wel once again ventures into poetry to bring us this magnificent ode to life. And as with each of her other films, the Dutch illustrator conveys a deep morality, in this case regarding the importance of never giving up on your dreams. Jonas and the Sea highlights a variety of themes about life, such as greed, aspiration and isolation. As the story unfolds we learn that Jonas’s singular ambition has condemned him to being alone, because, sadly, others do not understand him. The character’s loneliness is represented by a dark and agitated image that symbolically makes us think of a turbulent sea. This moving and melancholic film is a fable about life and a sublime story about the power of persevering.