A geometric and zany short film, The Table is an entertaining exploration of our sometimes obsessive relationship with perfection. A table, surely, is the most banal of everyday objects, right? Well, not for our carpenter hero, who sees making one as an artistic mission instead of a humdrum DIY chore. For him it must be not merely a table, but THE table – ie a table without flaws, a masterful showcase of the carpenter’s craft. The carpenter organises every aspect of his life down to the millimetre, as evidenced by his impressive toolbox, where everything is impeccably arranged. But his meticulousness is soon defied by the rash interventions of other people, who take over his table and alter its appearance. Some people use it to play chess, other eat their dinner off it … Basically, people just use it. And it drives the carpenter mad that he no longer has control over his creation even though a table is supposed to be a practical piece of furniture rather than an artistic work. He goes so far as to lose his head (and body) over it. Wacky and joyful, this multiform short film demonstrates in a wonderful way the absurdity of our quest for perfection and the tension and anxieties it can cause.
