Incredibly Moving & Politically Powerful
A picture speaks a thousand words. When it comes to If Anything Happens I Love You, those pictures combine to create one of the most moving short films released in quite some time. Like the infamous montage from Up! there’s no dialogue here but what it lacks in voice acting, it more than makes up for with a moving score and thought provoking themes.
The story essentially revolves around a family that’s been torn apart thanks to a horrific tragedy. At first, it’s hard to discern exactly what’s happened (Is this a marital dispute?) before everything starts to slot into place through sprinklings of clues along the way.
All of this crescendos into a truly devastating conclusion that brings up some very political but very real problems facing America today.
The most significant part of this movie though comes from its use of colour. Most of the animated picture is drawn with black and white scribbles; character faces dwarfed by dancing shadows which play out as a manifestation of these characters’ subconscious mind.
But lets look at the colours we’ve got here. Blue is used as a repeated motif throughout the film which symbolizes depression and grief. What begins as a thin lick of paint on the side of a building slowly evolves to consume a young child who grows up and finds joy with her two parents.
Alongside that is yellow, another primary colour and one that symbolizes the exact opposite – hopefulness and joy. These two colours work in tandem alongside red which is tellingly only used for a flag of America during a very important static scene partway through the picture.
I won’t spoil what this big reveal is and to be honest, it’s probably best to go into this one blind. If you can do that, you’re likely to get the most out of this.
Films like If Anything Happens I Love You are another example of this art-form transcending beyond the screen to produce realistically depicted characters exploring very real problems.
Yes, it is a difficult film to watch and yes some may see this as a bit political but sometimes the best movies are those that challenge your thoughts and defy expectations. That’s exactly what this 10 minute film does and honestly, this is one of the must-watch shorts of the year.
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Verdict - 9/10
9/10