Let me start off by saying that this short film shattered my soul. I originally thought this was a full length film so imagine my surprise when I found out there was THAT MUCH emotion packed into 12 minutes. It’s 12 minutes that are worth every second of your time to stop what you’re doing and watch. Again, this review is spoiler free.
This particular short film shows a mother and father living life together but you can clearly see that something is wrong. We later found out that they lost a child and are grieving over the death of her. As for how she died, you’ll have to watch and find out for yourself. As the film progresses, the parents slowly gather themselves together to look back on life with their daughter as well as when and how she died.
The animation is beautiful. I always make a comment on the animation and art style so I’m going to do it again here too. It’s simplistic but it has such an impact on the viewer, for example the parent’s shadows moving and conveying feelings that the mother and father couldn’t necessarily show in reality. The light colors used in the flashbacks aren’t overwhelming but instead very warm and inviting showing the family during a more simple, happy time in their lives. The film does a fantastic job portraying the happy memories from the bad based on the use of color alone.
Around the final four minutes of the film is when I finally caved in and started to cry (as for why, you’ll know when you watch it for yourselves). I actually cried so hard that my nose started to bleed. That scene just broke my heart; hearing the sounds and then the reaction to those sounds, it was so painful to watch. Though it was difficult to watch, this film feels very real in the sense that this is something some people have personally experienced. They went through that pain and lost a loved one due to the actions of another. It’s not fiction. This is a very real situation that we see on the news almost everyday. It’s a truth that a majority of people wish it wasn’t true and that they could just forget about it but in reality they can’t. Again, you’ll have to see the film for yourself to know exactly what it is I’m talking about. Only then you’ll understand.
I absolutely recommend watching this short film. It’s heartbreaking, powerful, and visually appealing despite the topic it covers. If you have some time to spare, sit down with a loved one and watch it. Share some tissues. Let them know you love them.
If Anything Happens I Love You is available to stream now on Netflix.
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