chosen by Andi and Juliet
The Film
Cowboy, Indian and Horse find themselves in the centre of an adventure caused by a computer-inspired mistake. The walls for their new house keep getting stolen and the search to find the thieves leads to all sorts of weird worlds. Horse has a disappointing birthday and Madame Longray waits patiently for him to come for his piano lesson. This is a bizarre animation made with plastic toys.
The response
This film was screened during Leeds Film Festival, and a friend of Andi's recommended it to the group. Andi thought the animation posed fundamental questions about what a film is. Most films try to look completely 'real' but aren't they just as artificial as an animation?
Jeani had struggled to watch the whole thing - the film sent Bruce and Jocelyn to sleep - but Katherine thought it was wonderful, and she appreciated the technical skill. It took Juliet straight back to childhood, and made her laugh. For Lucy, it captured the way children - especially boys - make up adventures. Those of us who enjoyed it didn't find it very memorable. As we talked about particular scenes we found ourselves laughing: Indian in the shower, Horse's bed, Steven's temper. The first half hour of the film was definitely the best, but then it all got a bit vague and directionless.
Andi suggested it had something of Camus about it, and Jeani agreed - somehow it reminded her of The Outsider (although the sense of being distanced from Meursault is not the same as being distanced from plastic toys).
