CHRONIQUES DE L'EAU SALÉE
2021 · 9m · France
Directed by Tamerlan Bekmurzayev, Antoine Carré, Rodrigo Goulão de Sousa, Alexandra Petit, Martin Robic
Genres: animation, coming-of-age, family
Tones: contemplative, melancholic, tender
Like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, a young boy says goodbye to his family and the house where they live — a bittersweet tale of leaving and family, inspired by Japanese manga and animation artists.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Five directors, nine minutes, and somehow it resists the obvious coming-of-age schmaltz—there's something deliberately oblique about the way it refuses to explain itself, which is either bold or self-indulgent, but I'm leaning toward the former.
A formally assured meditation on departure that draws its lineage from Japanese animation and graphic narrative traditions while maintaining a distinctly European sensibility; the collaborative direction suggests a unified vision grounded in considered visual language rather than committee compromise.
The pivot happens in the sound design—the way ambient water tones replace dialogue to carry emotional weight transforms what could've been a straightforward goodbye into something that feels earned rather than performed.
Reviews
A bitter-sweet tale of leaving and family, this animated short from five 2021 Gobelins animation grads was inspired by the work of Japanese artists, including manga master Matsumoto Taiyo, illustrator Taniuchi Rokuro, and filmmaker Yuasa Masaaki.