“Alike” by Daniel Martinez Lara and Rafa Cano Mendez
There is a lot to unpack in this nearly-silent short about
parenting and finding your purpose in a stale, capitalist society. In this almost-entirely
grey setting, protagonists blue man and orange boy stand out against their
surroundings with their colors as well as their facial expressions and body language
giving clues to their emotional states. You see many visual parallels between
the boy and the man’s daily lives. At the start, you see a stack of books next
to a stack of paperwork which represents the characters respective responsibilities
that they take to their standardized work and educational buildings in the next
scene. There you see crème-colored “school” and “work” buildings where they
filter in with the other clay people to perform their standard tasks given by “the
system.” It is at this point you see that the daily grind has done a number on
the man who drains of all color until he is greeted by his orange-as-ever son
in which he returns to his regular blue. It’s clear that the boy is captivated
by the street performer who plays his violin under the lonesome tree but his
interest is stifled and he is repeatedly pulled away. The curious little guy
starts to resemble his father with skin fading into the bleak background. Until
finally, at the conclusion they are seen embracing under the vibrant tree,
colors bold as ever.
This is not the first time I have seen this short film, but
it is as thought-provoking today as it was then. The premise of this video
really reminded me of a favorite film of mine based on a book: The Little Prince. The scenes of the film adaptation that feature the actual story are actually also silent which is a coincidence. But that sure says something about how a visually implied message sometimes speaks louder than one accompanied by sound! It gives these films an air of mystery, like those that can "see through" the images are in on the "secret." In the same way that this short indirectly gives commentary on the
effects of an imagination-less system on bright, curious children, The
Little Prince also has a problem with societies boring standards that suppresses
potential creatives. These stories show how important cultivating creativity
continuously into adulthood is a necessary rebellion for maintaining joy and
wonder when society so often sees these qualities as “unessential” as not being
mechanisms for monetary profit. These daring shorts have the capabilities of
starting a philosophical discussion about the changing priorities of our world
as it mobilizes exponentially around us, leaving the dreamers and the thinkers
in the dust of the doers. These sort of things that get my mind going about the
“important things in life” enliven my nonconforming, anti-capitalist spirit to
embrace the simple things.
(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)
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