Father and Daughter

Dir: Michaël Dudok de Wit

2000

****

Hayao Miyazaki, head of Studio Ghibli in Japan, was so moved by Michael Dudok de Wit’s short animated film Father and Daughter, that he sent for the director, asked if he could distribute the film and if he would like to collaborate on a feature length movie. de Wit admitted years later, that he understood Miyazaki’s question regarding distribution but thought that maybe there was a breakdown in translation when it came to working together on a feature length film. He wasn’t joking and de Wit was honoured to work with one of his animation heroes. After many years of development, The RedTurtle was released in 2016, all thanks to 2000’s stunning Father and Daughter. Miyazaki wasn't the film’s only fan however, as Father and Daughter won the Academy Award for Best Short Animation at the 2001 Oscars. The film itself is a watercolour come to life. It’s largely produced in two colours, switching from black and white, brown and white and blue and white. It is occasionally detailed but is, by and large, expressionist in its styling. A Father and young Daughter cycle together to a tree beside a huge body of water. They park their bicycles and embrace before the father, unexpectedly, boards a boat and sails off into the distance, leaving his shocked and distraught Daughter behind. The young girl continues to visit the place where she last saw her father, eagerly anticipating his return, although less and less so over the years. Eventually, the girl is an old women and she visits the spot once more, only to find the water has dried up. She sets out on foot, following the route her father would have taken and eventually finds his boat half buried in the ground. Tired, she decides to lay down in the half submerged boat and falls asleep. When she awakes her father is standing before her, with open arms. If you don’t cry then there is something wrong with you or your eyes. The symbolism is clear and the film is pure poetry. My only gripe is the clichéd French organ music.