User Reviews

As has been said in other comments this short is perhaps lacking in a narrative, however I found it visually stunning, provocative and yes a little pretentious but I'm a sucker for the surreal and this short has a distinct surrealist leaning.

The combination of stop motion, cell animation and some nice film effects was really beautifully executed. It is a film that relies on symbolism throughout and I watched it when I woke at 4.00 am from a deep sleep so for me the experience was enhanced as I was already in a dreamy place so it there was a seamless transition for my mind as the film is very dreamlike.

It was a whole lot more thought provoking than so much of the drivel dished up and well worth the fifteen minutes of life it takes up, so I would encourage you to watch it and make of it what you will.

A woman, desperate to hang onto the love that she has felt, tries to slow, stop or even reverse the passage of time. And, from here on in I was pretty much lost when it comes to narrative but the film didn't seem too bothered as it had other things on its mind. It sets up a strange dinner between the woman and a masked, demonic figure that causes strange things to happen until she is counselled (plagued?) by ghostly figures.

It is a shame that the narrative just doesn't work because the effort has clearly been put into the appearance of the film. Despite a television feel to the film stock (a limit of budget I assume) the film did actually look quite good; the animation is interesting and not the easiest to produce, using several styles and techniques – the majority of which are successful and make for interesting viewing. Sadly, without a story to engage, the visuals become less and less interesting to the point where they do start to irritate because it felt like the director had just had lots of ideas of looks but little of substance. I would hesitate from calling the whole film pretentious but it certainly didn't help to have monastic chanting and solemn moments that suggest we are meant to be watching the most intense moralistic complex ever – whereas really it doesn't mean that much to many of us.

A shame because visually it did have potential and the tone could have worked but the narration poetry (from Jelaluddin Rumi apparently) didn't make a narrative and didn't have enough value in themselves to allow style and substance to exist as two separate parts of the film. The forgiving viewer will see lots of good things that just don't come together as they should – the standard, casual viewer will quickly feel distanced from it and put off by the rather pretentious air the whole thing ends up having.

IN THE TIME OF ANGELS starts with a voice-over of a young woman lamenting the passing of time . This strikes a chord with the human psyche and can be summed up with Matt Johnson's song Another Boy Drowning . It's a topic that while being cathartic can also be unredeemable depressing . Luckily the rest of this short film isn't depressing but unluckily this doesn't make it very good . For much of the running time a pretty young woman sits at one end of a table looking at the other end where a demonic vision is seated rather like a segment from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST . It's disturbing at first but then the whole short film becomes irritating as it drowns in its own self importance and pretentious overtones as the audience has to endure animation , special effects and ghostly dancers . I find it impossible to communicate to you dear reader as to what the story is about or if it's about anything as this viewer was subjected to a barrage of meaningless abstract images . Some people might see this as " art " but I much prefer narrative to art

I watch short films regularly and this is by far the most beautiful and compelling one I have ever seen. The choice of music and poetry is of impeccable taste, stunning visuals and high-quality animation are blended seamlessly with stylish special effects. The juxtaposition of contemporary and romantic imagery is most welcome in a work dealing with slowing down, stopping or reversing the track of time. I don't understand those who expect a more powerful narrative; they have missed the point: this is a lyrical masterpiece that touches senses, soul, spirit, and a find especially for nowadays' "steam punk" aficionados... Watch it, and indeed "green herbs will spring up in the courtyard of your soul..."