SOLACE
|
  Year Released: 2003 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 3 minutes |
You might be tempted to call “Solace” (Bill Kersey) a music video for the mere fact that it runs the length of the three minute and second song that fills the soundtrack. It’s a tribute to a man’s son, but it’s also an example of unconventional storytelling. The film starts with a guitar, a mic stand, and a stool against a white background. It cuts to black and you hear a voice instruct the person who picks up the guitar to start whenever ready, at which point the visuals return. The man with the guitar begins to play. There are no lyrics to his song and the images that accompany it successfully create a narrative.
Resembling what live-action limited animation might be, there isn’t a lot of movement to the pictures. In fact, “Solace” is virtually more of a filmstrip than a film. The series of images tell the story of a man who loses his young son to an illness. When the song ends, the voice that spoke before thanks the guitar player for his time, to which he insists that he’d like to give it another try. “Solace” is a cinematic work that understands dialogue isn’t necessary to convey a message to an audience. It’s honest.
Posted on January 11, 2006 in Reviews by Stina Chyn
If you liked this review than you may also like the following articles:
Tell us what you're thinking...
