Director Lachlan Pendragon’s “An Ostrich…” is probably one of the more inventive shorts about creating, the idea of a higher being, and what happens when our creations take on a life of their own. “An Ostrich…” utilizes interesting filmmaking mediums and a collaboration of two art forms to unfold a very self aware and entertaining meta-satire.
Neil is an office worker who spirals after an Ostrich reveals that he is in a stop-motion animation. Neil, now awake to his surroundings, struggles to convince his co-workers that they too are a part of stop motion film. But it becomes tough to convince them. “An Ostrich…” is such a clever and entertaining short that really works toward exploring a tale about self-awareness, while also demonstrating the tough work of stop motion.
Director Pendragon keeps the story framed within a camera lens, showing on the outside the animators working tirelessly as the narrative within, unfolds for us. The stop motion is absolutely brisk and flawless with some keen comic timing, and some great bizarre sight gags. There’s a lot of focus on the artificial aesthetic, including a moment where Neil looks out of the office window noticing that it’s flickering as a green screen. The only problem is that the office workers don’t realize it.
Soon it becomes a question on if they don’t realize it, or if they don’t want to realize it. Is Neil better off not realizing he’s just a creative work from a higher master, or is he doomed to carry the knowledge of his life as a stop motion puppet with no real chance of escaping? “An Ostrich…” works on so many dimensions with positing interesting existential ideas along with great overtones about life, and purpose. There is also of course the look in to the grudging task of the stop motion animation process, and how Pendragon commits to a remarkable feat with his clear work of love in “An Ostrich…”