Clémentine Robach’s first film is a lovely lesson in solidarity, and she relates it on the screen using a cut paper technique that brings the characters to life very vividly. The way they seem to walk hesitantly because of their deconstructed movement lends them a certain charm and a farcical humour. Gently and with plenty of music, the film-maker adapts the traditional Russian tale of The Mitten. This, of course, demands instruments! Wood and wind come to the fore to recreate a snowy winter atmosphere. The director stages two stories: one, during the day, is about little Lily, her grandfather and the bird house. Then, at night, comes the tale of the animals and the mitten. The animals become very interested in the mitten that has been dropped in the snow, as they use it to protect themselves from the cold. How many creatures can huddle up in a little red mitten? There’s a mouse, a squirrel, a fox, a bear… wait, a bear? Isn’t that too much? This short film certainly doesn’t lack humour, and the story concludes with a great laugh that brings lots of warmth to a chilly winter tale.
