Ahead
2021 · 5m
Directed by Ala Nunu
Genres: animation, drama, surrealism
Tones: contemplative, sensual, tender
One partner, portrayed as headless, leans on the other for support in a sensual animated meditation on caregiving and the relationships that sustain us.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
The headless-body conceit *could* be gimmicky, but Nunu refuses to wink at it—treats the surrealism as literal metaphor without apology, which is either bold or insufferable depending on your patience for earnestness dressed as experiment.
A formally composed study in negative space and haptic abstraction that sits comfortably in the lineage of body-focused animation (Joanna Quinn, Koji Yamamura) while developing its own lexicon of interdependence through silhouette and touch.
The decision to animate the supporting partner as *present and fully formed* while the dependent one remains absent—visible only through gesture and weight—reframes the entire power dynamic in five minutes flat; that asymmetry does all the emotional work.
Reviews
Ahead is a soft, touching watch, brimming with unrecognisable worlds and universal emotions. Ahead is centred around the question of whether you can actually help someone if they're not ready for that help.
For me, the real power (and appeal) in Ahead is in how it encourages you to reflect on your own relationships. Here at S/W we think it's a beautiful, contemplative short and we eagerly await what its creator does next.