Away 4K 2019

At the beginning of the cartoon, we see a boy with a parachute hanging from a tree. Symbolically, he can be compared to the Hanged Man, one of the major arcana in the Tarot, which can refer to the destructive state of eternal sacrifice or signify a child abandoned by his parents, or in extreme cases, a painful departure from life. However, after this introduction, a kind of ferromagnetic liquid in the form of a humanoid creature or spirit appears, which swallows the boy and passes him through itself. Having passed through this symbolic tunnel, the young man seems to return to life and descends to earth, which marks the beginning of his journey. Later, we are shown that the anthropomorphic spirit carries both life and death (swallowing a fawn in a clearing, after which it dies). The young man then finds an oasis where he has everything he needs for the journey ahead and meets a little bird that will become his companion. The spirit that brought the boy back to life follows close behind him, most likely as death. The young man decides to get rid of the spirit by breaking the bridge behind him with a large boulder. The creature falls into the abyss.

If we look at the surface layer of the narrative, we see a boy who survived a plane crash. Looking deeper into the events, the symbolism that permeates everything that happens from the very beginning becomes apparent. Man's victory over death, the soul as a guide helping to move forward (the yellow bird), elephants symbolizing wisdom and strength, wild black cats in a ruined temple as a crisis of faith or superstition, and a spiral descent to the true source. And the relentless pursuit of death, which cannot be escaped. In a general sense, "Away" is the entire journey, the entire life of one person, “swallowing with the spirit” as birth and death. At the end of the journey, the people seen may be both deceased relatives and the souls of those who died in the plane crash, and the journey may be the pre-death visions of the bardo.

The whole story is very reminiscent of The Little Prince—a plane crash, one survivor in the desert, a bird instead of a fox. The Little Prince traveled across planets, and the hero of the cartoon also meets different characters on his journey. At the end, there is also a duality of interpretation that makes you wonder whether the hero actually died or saved himself.

The meaning of the cartoon is well reflected in the original title Away—further, which I think is a more appropriate translation. The hero goes further and further, delving into his thoughts and memories, and life itself forces him to move on, although perhaps away, away from death... In any case, the cartoon is pleasant to watch, the animation is done in deep colors, there are no bright transitions, the details are not drawn out, which gives it a stylized conciseness. It is also notable for being created entirely by one person—Gints Zilbalodis, who became the producer, director, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, artist, and composer all rolled into one!

For those who want to immerse themselves in a meditative state and reflect on life and death without unnecessary words, this cartoon will be of interest.