The Flying Sailor
2022 · 8m · Canada
Directed by Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby
Genres: animation, drama, experimental
Tones: contemplative, darkly comic, surreal
Inspired by the apparently true story of a man who survived the 1917 Halifax Explosion, an animated short follows a sailor blasted skyward when two ships collide in a harbour. As he soars above the mayhem with ears ringing and guts heaving, he contemplates the wonder and fragility of existence.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
It's formally adventurous enough — the mixed-media gambit could've been a gimmick, but Forbis and Tilby use it to actually say something about how we experience trauma, which is rare enough that I'm not mad at it, even if the historical reverence keeps it from fully committing to the weird.
A formally sophisticated meditation on mortality that inherits from both the experimental animation tradition and the long lineage of art responding to historical catastrophe; the seamless integration of 3D, 2D, live action, and photography isn't show-offy but purposeful — each medium bears witness differently.
The decision to shoot the Halifax Explosion itself in live action while rendering the sailor's weightless, disorienting ascent in mixed animation is the hinge that makes it work — it keeps the historical real grounded while letting the internal experience become completely unmoored.
Reviews
The Flying Sailor provokes a real mix of emotion throughout its eight-minute run-time, managing to be funny and quite moving at the same time.
A bold blend of comedy, suspense and philosophy, The Flying Sailor is an exhilarating contemplation of the wonder and fragility of existence.
Festivals
- Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2022
- Toronto International Film Festival 2022
- Academy Awards 2023, Nominee