Director Luis Grane’s short experimental animated film is a genuinely unnerving albeit creative narrative that revels in its randomness. As with most of these kinds of shorts, “Nowhere Stream” is an existentialist computer animated nightmare that ponders on life on the internet as opposed to life in reality.
A nowhere man swimming in the Nowhere Stream seeks meaning in the virtual world but ultimately fails. When he gets a second chance, he finds that the answer was closer than initially expected.
There isn’t much of an established premise when it comes to “Nowhere Stream” nor is there an actual act structure or resolution. Instead it’s just a series of animated sequences that are both bold and bizarre at the same time. The main character who is obsessed with his computer looks for new ways to pleasure and fulfill himself through the internet. There’s a ton of subtle imagery as well as some beautifully animated instances that help to punctuate the experimental nature of Luis Grane’s short.
While it doesn’t amount to any kind of character focus or involving story elements in its six minute run time, it should satisfy folks that love random imagery and heavy symbolism that doubles as social commentary.
The Slamdance Film Festival runs Digitally and In-Person from January 19th to January 28th.