“Blossom” is a very special film. Not just because it is a short film, but because the story of how it was made is based on a tragic event that any of us old enough for it can still remember well: the Touhoku earthquake almost exactly ten years ago. I still remember that at work I followed the development of this catastrophe in the live ticker. In commemoration of this tragedy, studio Ordet Co., Ltd created this short film … as inconspicuous as a flower that could sprout out of the ground after it became fertile again.
The film is about a farmer who puts all his energy into rebuilding the country. Sweet angels flit past around him and the other villagers, watching and accompanying them. Everyone in the village seems to have their own personal guardian angel if you look at a few scenes a little closer. Of course, this also applies to the farmer. With this nameless angel the main character couple has found each other. The film itself is told from the angel’s perspective. Her thoughts revolve around the farmer, but also around God and the world. She sometimes utters predictable phrases (e.g. to ask God – if he even exists – to help those in need); In between, however, her thoughts also move into somewhat more abstract realms that cannot be clearly interpreted immediately.
A somewhat more unusual style has been chosen for the drawings – to match this unusual short film. Both the sadness and the hope of the villagers and the general serenity of the angels are conveyed through images that are reminiscent of slimmed-down pastel paintings.
But it is the music that makes this already very extraordinary work into something even more extraordinary. This short film can be viewed in two ways:
In the music video version, “Hoppípolla” is played by the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. I wasn’t aware of that at first when I watched this short film. What a positive surprise it was when I heard the first notes of this song – after all, Sigur Rós is one of my favorite bands. And yet I have neglected this band in the last few years. What a shame. But what should you do when the day only has 24 hours? As is often the case with favorite bands, the band you are listening to is the best band in the world. And that’s exactly what Sigur Rós was in the six minutes that this short film lasted.
Conclusion:
Sigur Rós may not be the best band in the world 24/7, but as soon as you hear Jónsi’s angelic voice, Goggi’s glockenspiel or the Amiina string quartet, you can’t escape the magic, and at least for the time when the sometimes melancholic, sometimes euphoric, but always highly emotional songs are being played, Sigur Rós is the best band in the world.
…
Oh, wait, this was about “Blossom”. The anime is definitely worth a look because – and this argument is used again and again in such short works – you can certainly invest the few minutes. The emotional effect of this film was without a doubt greater after the Touhoku earthquake, but because the connection to this event is relatively loose, you can watch it at any time and simply see it as a story between an angel and a farmer which – like the songs of Sigur Rós – alternates between melancholy and euphoria.
PS: Because you can watch this short film in two different ways, I wrote this review in two different ways: here in English, there in German.
The film is about a farmer who puts all his energy into rebuilding the country. Sweet angels flit past around him and the other villagers, watching and accompanying them. Everyone in the village seems to have their own personal guardian angel if you look at a few scenes a little closer. Of course, this also applies to the farmer. With this nameless angel the main character couple has found each other. The film itself is told from the angel’s perspective. Her thoughts revolve around the farmer, but also around God and the world. She sometimes utters predictable phrases (e.g. to ask God – if he even exists – to help those in need); In between, however, her thoughts also move into somewhat more abstract realms that cannot be clearly interpreted immediately.
A somewhat more unusual style has been chosen for the drawings – to match this unusual short film. Both the sadness and the hope of the villagers and the general serenity of the angels are conveyed through images that are reminiscent of slimmed-down pastel paintings.
But it is the music that makes this already very extraordinary work into something even more extraordinary. This short film can be viewed in two ways:
- as an ordinary anime with all the frills
- as a music video with all the frills
In the music video version, “Hoppípolla” is played by the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. I wasn’t aware of that at first when I watched this short film. What a positive surprise it was when I heard the first notes of this song – after all, Sigur Rós is one of my favorite bands. And yet I have neglected this band in the last few years. What a shame. But what should you do when the day only has 24 hours? As is often the case with favorite bands, the band you are listening to is the best band in the world. And that’s exactly what Sigur Rós was in the six minutes that this short film lasted.
Conclusion:
Sigur Rós may not be the best band in the world 24/7, but as soon as you hear Jónsi’s angelic voice, Goggi’s glockenspiel or the Amiina string quartet, you can’t escape the magic, and at least for the time when the sometimes melancholic, sometimes euphoric, but always highly emotional songs are being played, Sigur Rós is the best band in the world.
…
Oh, wait, this was about “Blossom”. The anime is definitely worth a look because – and this argument is used again and again in such short works – you can certainly invest the few minutes. The emotional effect of this film was without a doubt greater after the Touhoku earthquake, but because the connection to this event is relatively loose, you can watch it at any time and simply see it as a story between an angel and a farmer which – like the songs of Sigur Rós – alternates between melancholy and euphoria.
PS: Because you can watch this short film in two different ways, I wrote this review in two different ways: here in English, there in German.
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