Oct 15, 2013

Mute" by Job, Joris & Marieke

"Mute" is a concept that would be grotesque in live action but transforms into something sweet and charming in animation. The film depicts a world inhabited by people born without mouths and the dark path they take to discover their gift of speech.

Credit goes to Dutch filmmakers Job, Joris & Marieke (production name of Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins, and Marieke Blau) for making a baby spewing blood from its mouth look charming and cute. This is the power of good production design, and this film has it in spades. The visuals are accompanied by a hilarious soundtrack that lives up to its name: Happy Camper.

Then I thought about the film and the concept fell apart. In a world where people without mouths have lived for so long that instead of struggling to speak through non-existent orifices, they may have developed other means of communication - why have vocal cords when you don't have a mouth - it's best not to think about it. The film does not come together on a conceptual level, but it made me smile from beginning to end.