I really appreciated this short because of its honesty, vibrancy, and unique way of displaying memories via bright watercolors, slippery panels, and journalistic visual text. It's a lovely and sad homage to the narrator's friend, Harriot, who mysteriously disappeared during high school.
The mustard yellows and plum purples really intrigued my eye. The curvature of the panels created a sense of whimsicality and playfulness, but the seriousness and intricate details of the characters, while juxtaposed to darker tones of earthy colors, added depth and an emotional willingness. It's a really lovely comic that's drawn to compliment the eye. The overall design strikes a strange nuance between structured and minimalistic to free and playful and alive. In a way, it reflects the mystery of her friend's disappearance and the existence of UFOs.
In terms of narrative structure, the shape of this story is a simple one: a bathroom tub. It starts in media res in the present, over a conversation with friends on UFOs, and then it slips back into the past, further into it by chronicling the events of Harriet's disappearance, and then it wraps back up toward the present, ending. It's linear, in a way, and moves forward thematically and emotionally by tying Harriet with her obsessions.
I have to say, I really love the art here. My only sadness is that the short was quite short. I wish it were longer. The detail of the narrator's face was lovely, and I love how the artist captured and embodied herself.
~ Melissa Sipin
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI was stunned by the beauty in the phrase, "emotional willingness," along with the way you referred to LaValle's frames as "slippery panels." I was intrigued by how you describe his work as, "journalistic visual text." I read the use of the alien abduction as a fictional element LaValle was using to help the reader understand how it felt to be these characters, rather than a journalistic one. I would love to know more about the journalistic elements you found in the text.
Thanks for sharing,
MargaretS.
i loved the narrators face also! i like how you wrote about the colors because i actually printed it in b/w and now i want to go back and look at it. i think itll bring much more depth into the artwork.
ReplyDeletenow ill take an extra careful look at the colors and tones. thanks!
I agree with everyone and find the pictures, the colors, the face, the gaze of the panels quite compelling --but there's something about it being so short that lets us dive into the complexity of it.
ReplyDeleteYou captured some of the elements that work in unison
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