What an amusing short film! In a very small snatch of time, and without even seeming to try, it conveys loads of important messages about life, the environment, learning, patience and our relationship with nature. And all without any words!
Drawn using big black lines almost as if with charcoal, but lovely precision, the film immerses us in a minimalist setting that we immediately recognise: we are in the American Old West, in Grand Canyon country. When a pair of adult hands rubs stones together, a yellow flame bursts out in the grey pencil-drawn world, and a wrinkled face leans in to blow on the embers. We see a mat being shaken and we know that, yes, we are in the land of the Native Americans. The next shot shows us a bird that we instinctively think of as part of this culture and place: a vulture.
At the top of a cliff in the heart of the canyon, a grandfather is teaching his grandson how to make smoke signals by blowing on a fire. To do this you have to know how to shake a mat over the flames. Oh look at those shapes: is that a boar forming, and flying off into the sky? And how about that flying fish!? The child is completely enchanted; his slightly overgrown fringe doesn’t stop him admiring the shapes that his grandfather carefully creates. But when the little lad gets his go, he is too hasty and shakes the mat with all his might. The fire cannot withstand such a violent wind and, oh dear, it goes out. But not to worry, the grandfather understands that nothing ever works at the first attempt. “Go on,” he seems to say to the little boy, “try again, young man”. Except this coming-of-age tale is told so carefully that the film doesn’t actually need any dialogue. And the boy tries again. That’s what’s important. Because he is at the age to learn.
We are taken into something that goes beyond just learning a language - in this case that of smoke signals. We are learning about the process of learning itself. Because mastering a language is no easy feat: there are rules and method. You can’t say whatever comes to mind, in any way you want. In the film the little boy first goes about his task with gusto but no method – he is only being a bit mischievous but the shapes rebel against him. You see, you can’t get away with misusing a language – it can lead to serious consequences. In this case, though, the consequences are quickly dealt with, since the little boy just wanted to have fun rather than do any harm. All the same, he finds himself having to hide in the hollow of a tree from a growling smoke-shape that is black with anger after being pestered by the lad.
While this impressive short film is irresistible for its slapstick humour, the story also carries a deep message. Problems are solved by working together and figuring things out. And the child comes to understand he needs to know how to use his tools of communication if he is to get on in the world. Speaking with precision and tact enables us to create beauty in the world, rather than chaos and violence. What a wonderful lesson in a film that is jolly and serious at the same time.
