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That is how filmmaker Joćo Gonzalez described his short film for a New Yorker interview. At 14 minutes, this silent short film certainly has to let the images and the music carry the burden of those themes, but it does so pretty well.
Set in a steep cliff where a house is perched, Ice Merchants follows a father-and-son duo as they continuously go through their routine of picking ice, jumping down, selling ice, going back up. It's all shown beautifully through the minimalist animation of Gonzalez.
But beyond the rigors of that routine, there are indeed some moments where the images show you there was a loss, and consequently, how that ever-present connection between the family can keep us alive, and help us to carry on. Ice Merchants might feel like a simple story, but it does have a lot of heart.
Grade:
ICE MERCHANTS
(2022, Gonzalez)
(2022, Gonzalez)
"A family drama about loss and family connection."
That is how filmmaker Joćo Gonzalez described his short film for a New Yorker interview. At 14 minutes, this silent short film certainly has to let the images and the music carry the burden of those themes, but it does so pretty well.
Set in a steep cliff where a house is perched, Ice Merchants follows a father-and-son duo as they continuously go through their routine of picking ice, jumping down, selling ice, going back up. It's all shown beautifully through the minimalist animation of Gonzalez.
But beyond the rigors of that routine, there are indeed some moments where the images show you there was a loss, and consequently, how that ever-present connection between the family can keep us alive, and help us to carry on. Ice Merchants might feel like a simple story, but it does have a lot of heart.
Grade: