After watching this immensely important and unbelievable kind of work by director Aleksandr Petrov on a remarkable spiritual story of Fyodor Dostoevsky, I had only one thought in my mind. And it was that as an individual we are so small in capacity and there is so much to read, know and learn about, being written or performed in the other parts of the world which simply cannot be experienced in only one granted lifetime of say 70 years.
The thought was all over me while watching this classic interpretation of Dostoevsky’s story by Aleksandr since I was literally blown over the visuals coming over the screen representing the great thought process behind them written skillfully. At times it was really difficult to say that whether the writer has penned it down more beautifully or the director has visualized the thoughts more deftly in comparison. In honest words I just felt like watching a spiritual scripture written by one blessed visionary, adapted for his short animated film by another gifted personality who himself is not less than any spiritual master.
Regarding its story plot the film is called “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man” with a purpose and its original title is “Son Smeshnogo Cheloveka” in Russian. It begins with a dark lead character who has decided to commit suicide. But just at the last moment after refusing to help a small girl, he falls asleep and then dreams about a lovable world full of peace, goodness and positivity. But no sooner he realizes that his presence there in the perfect world has created some kind of imbalance in the air, as things begin to turn negative all of a sudden. Now this thoughtful dream or hallucination of that depressed man truly takes you out of this world, beyond your wildest imagination and I am quite sure that you would have not seen such an impressive, poetic and meaningful depiction of both Death and Life on the screen ever before.
This astonishing 20 minutes short animated masterpiece is an achievement of an extremely talented man Aleksandr Petrov, who believes to do his creative work in the most natural manner, with his own fingers without using any kind of computer graphics in the process of drawing. The film is the result of thousands of paintings made with a paint-on-glass technique where the glass is kept under a camera with lights at the back of it and then the drawings are made on that glass with slow drying oils and other materials. Each movement on the screen is a result of the changes made on that glass painting by erasing or developing the earlier one partially. And after you come to know about the actual process behind this amazing creation, words fell short to express the God-gifted wonder and the undying passion in the person behind this admirable work.
The animation here, as it is called, is unarguably an incredible piece of art presenting a very fine as well as intelligent blend of fantasy and realism illustrated through a great vision by its creator/director. There is an unthinkable kind of detailing in its every outstanding frame with effects such as passing lights seen through the window of a moving train, a fist opening with a tiny baby crawling on the palm and people standing in a queue to listen to the movements of the unborn baby. All these breathtaking images stay in your mind for long strongly forcing you see it once again from a different angle. And with each repeated viewing you will find several new interpretations striking you powerfully with a distinctive revelation about both life and death together.
Frankly for me this extraordinary 20 minutes of animated work based on an insightful thought was certainly one of the best cinematic adaptations ever seen till date and I am sure it would turn out the same for many friends reading this too.
Luckily, at this moment of writing the article, the film can be seen at Youtube along with its English Subtitles and you can also see the master at work, in process of making his other movie in the links given below. So if you wish to experience one of the most startling animated achievements made without using the easily available computer graphics in the present age then just spare only one hour of your precious time and amaze yourself.
Director: Aleksandr Petrov
Writers : Fyodor Dostoevsky (Story), Aleksandr Petrov (Screenplay)
Tags :
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man (1992) (Russia), Movies To See Before You Die World Cinema Short Film Animation Drama, Best Animated Short Film Ever Seen, Not To Be Missed Films List by Bobby Sing, Must See Movies, Must See Films by Bobby Sing
