Here’s an interesting little piece I checked out not too long ago—from Indian part-time director Ishan Shukla comes this animated piece originally conceived as a graphic novel. Somewhat international in scope and ambitious in its themes, how does Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust turn out, and is it worth checking out?
Rendered partially in a videogame engine, the animation is at least tinkered somewhat to give a stylized part-2D appearance—it may not be Pixar, but it’s at least able to convey for itself some decent production design. And that is of course something along the lines of Brazil and assorted cyberpunk pieces—as we find ourself in the titular city of Schirkoa were all citizens are mandated to wear bags over their heads as a combination of ideology and religion, with one singular office worker soon finding out that poking the system might reveal more than he thinks. His lover (Golshifteh Farahani, ironically exiled from Iran for noncompliace with dress codes) has her own ideas, but both might converge sooner than they think.
Despite the obviously low budget there’s enough production flair in here that I liked, from the geography of the city street to the murky brothels our characters live above to the craziness that comes later (with Asia Argento playing a memorable role with her no-shits-given-attitude). And, I must admit, while at first I took it as a rather on the nose satire of politics and more, things do take some pretty wild turns that I didn’t see coming—sort of like going from 1984 to a deranged Wizard of Oz on coke.
There’s a whole variety of themes being grappled here with—perhaps one being the quest for perfection, and how perhaps any utopia ultimately self-defeats, wherever it’s coming from. What’s the use of working or struggling if you think you’ve already got it made? That’s the kind of question here, with more touched on from how ideals can be corrupted over time by power, and the evolution of one’s identity when liberated—perhaps it’s all a bit scattershot, but I see an earnest attempt to deal with it all, and sincerity does go a long way for me.
So, while it’s a bit rough, I do suggest you give this one a try—Shukla did manage to get an Academy award from the short this was initially based on, and if nothing else, this kind of perspective combined with this kind of presentation is something perhaps worth sharing around.
Comments
Post a Comment