Souvenir (2004)
A shadowy fable unfolds from inside a souvenir snow globe, in this unique film shot entirely with a toy camera.
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Reviews
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
This film was made with one of those Fisher-Price Pixel 2000 (2000-pixels per frame) toy cameras made in the late 1980's. It begins with a lonely marionette figure in a a cave-scene snow globe. The figure spends his time touring his little cave, waiting for the little stalactites to join the little stalagmites, tidying up his little space, and watching the sparkling little waterfall that appears in the cave after the snow globe is shaken. But no matter how busy the little guy keeps himself, he cannot escape his loneliness. Just as we fully embrace the plight this sympathetic little guy, something unexpected happens. SPOILER ALERT: The little guy turns his head and, looking over his shoulder, sees another figure in the hazy distance. Elated and hopeful, the little guy moves closer and the stranger in the haze resolves into the figure of a deep sea diver. Finally, they are face to faceplate and each reaches out an arm to make contact. But contact is denied because the diver is trapped within his own snow globe--another souvenir--that has been placed next to the first one. The narrator ends the film with the words, "But this was more than he knew before and that was enough." This film really blew me away with its great story, well-designed sets and figures, and the skills of the puppeteer(s).