Short Film Review: Love is Just a Death Away
In the deep of a dumpsite, a worm has taken over a decomposing dog’s body to interact with other creatures that live in the same place. Its attempts to build relationships are always interrupted and isolation has begun to chase it more and more. It sinks itself into profound sadness and melancholy, and the scenario doesn’t seem to cheer its spirits either.
This short film was written and directed by the Czech Bára Anna Stejskalová and it was screened in the short films program of SXSW 2021. The production design is impeccable and the work behind lightning and stop-motion animation —which for moments feels like a mixture of Isle of Dogs by Wes Anderson and Disney Pixar’s Wall-E— fills the story with tremendous emotion.
Love is Just a Death Away is a sweet story about the terror of being alone and not being accepted in our surroundings or society. The protagonist’s journey is short but philosophical: among all the uncertainty, is there someone willing to take our hands and make the chaos feel lighter?
This review was originally published in Spanish, read it here.