Dreams From the Woods by Johannes Nyholm

The world of animation is constantly exploring new ways of giving life to its characters. The process of flicking the pages of a notebook seems to belong to the past, and now creators move their shapes with both their computers and their imaginations. Dreams From the Woods, by Swedish director Johannes Nyholm, recreates a traditional shadow puppet show in a modern version which deliberately includes - with delicate movements - the threads and sticks that move the figures.

In this dark fairytale, which seems to draw on children’s fears, a bird falls in love with a girl who’s strolling through the forest. The girl, who doesn’t pay too much attention to her little suitor, keeps walking between the wooded paths, unconcerned about the danger that lies ahead of her. The tale soon turns into a disturbing story, in which fire and even death - playing a tempting melody, appear on the scene. The atmosphere is transmitted through the darkness of the silhouettes and the shadows, and the music leads to an uneasy feeling.

Apparently simple and naïve, the story is told with home-made resources: curtains simulate the wind and the rain, and plastics move as the sea. Extremely beautiful, ingenious, and provoking an incredible oppressive sensation, this is the perfect example of the cartoon’s imaginative strength.

Andrea Franco