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A down-on-his-luck detective is hired by a Queen to find her husband and baby, but shady elements threaten his mission. Think you've seen this story done before? Well, think again, cause writer and director Jack Wedge takes that story and grinds it through an acid-trip kaleidoscope of color, noir-ish vibes, and bizarre CGI animation.
Goodbye Mommy is the third short film from Wedge, whose father Chris achieved fame by directing the first Ice Age film and for voicing the ill-fated squirrel Scrat all through the franchise. But the apple couldn't have fallen further from the tree, at least in terms of style. This short film is a dizzying and disorienting experience, not only because of the way the camera frantically moves around the environment, but also because of how convoluted the story is.
But to be clear, I don't mean any of that in a bad way. There is a hypnotizing quality to it that doesn't let you look away, and there is a certain melancholy to the way the story unfolds, even if you're not really sure what is happening. The lead detective (voiced by Chris Wedge) feels misunderstood and like he "doesn't really fit into this world", but much like this short film, this job will turn out to be not what he (or us!) expected.
Grade:
GOODBYE MOMMY
(2019, Wedge)
Freebie
(2019, Wedge)
Freebie
"Like I said, I don't really fit into this world. Misunderstood. So I pushed my own mind at telling my story; and then at the end, I'll be saying goodbye."
A down-on-his-luck detective is hired by a Queen to find her husband and baby, but shady elements threaten his mission. Think you've seen this story done before? Well, think again, cause writer and director Jack Wedge takes that story and grinds it through an acid-trip kaleidoscope of color, noir-ish vibes, and bizarre CGI animation.
Goodbye Mommy is the third short film from Wedge, whose father Chris achieved fame by directing the first Ice Age film and for voicing the ill-fated squirrel Scrat all through the franchise. But the apple couldn't have fallen further from the tree, at least in terms of style. This short film is a dizzying and disorienting experience, not only because of the way the camera frantically moves around the environment, but also because of how convoluted the story is.
But to be clear, I don't mean any of that in a bad way. There is a hypnotizing quality to it that doesn't let you look away, and there is a certain melancholy to the way the story unfolds, even if you're not really sure what is happening. The lead detective (voiced by Chris Wedge) feels misunderstood and like he "doesn't really fit into this world", but much like this short film, this job will turn out to be not what he (or us!) expected.
Grade: