Skhizen

Henry: 91 centimetres away from Henry.

As a story, it is both funny and tragic. As a real experience, it is simply something with which one has to find ways to deal with. And Henry is doing just that…

One day, he finds himself 91 centimetres away from his own self. He is able to catch things around him, but cannot reach his own thoughts, his mind, because of the separating space. “There were no actual damages after all, is that right?” asks his therapist, while he explains about the 150 tons of meteoroid that struck him. The “actual” damage he was talking about should be a physical problem like a wound; but actually Henry’s one is more physical than any scar.

He decides to get on with his life by just accepting that he has slipped away from himself by around a metre. Even so, he tries all his chances. When he realises that he could be hit by another meteoroid, he tries hard to make this possibility real. But unfortunately this time, his calculating is not precise enough, since now there is a new “75 centimetre” problem he has to consider…

With his well-designed drawings, engaging storytelling and melancholic music, Jérémy Clapin, the director of Skhizen - which is his second short animation - tells us that Henry is still “there”, although he is not exactly at the point where he should be. Henry’s problem, which, as mentioned, can be experienced by 1% of people, is not only an unfortunate story about a meteoroid crashing onto somebody. It is also a nice metaphore of people who keep quiet and decide to get used to their new situation when there is no way out, even though making noise is sometimes more valuable.

Esra Demirkiran