On a warm autumn day, father and daughter rode their bicycles through country lanes, climbed steep slopes, and headed for the river. The father stopped the car here, he leaned over to say goodbye to his daughter, and his reluctance and sadness were revealed in his demeanor of turning back and hugging her again. But in the end he got into a small boat and drifted away as the water fell.
The daughter waited and did not see her father return, so she had to ride away alone. But since that day, the daughter has developed the habit of coming to the river from time to time to see, and she looks in the direction of her father's departure, as if expecting, and as if remembering...
This is the plot of Father and Daughter, an animated short film directed by Dutch director Michael Dudwitt and released in 2001 that won the 73rd Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Not only that, but Michael Dudewitt also relied on his own film studio to produce a picture book with the same name as this short film, which also inherits the thin colors, simple scenes and simple atmosphere of the short film.
It is precisely because this story has chosen a "depressing" style that is diametrically opposed to the general bright childlike creative method in form, so it seems that it cannot become a "qualified" work of art that can be understood by children, but this does not prevent it from successfully capturing adults.
The most noteworthy of its subtleties is the use of a large number of symbols in the technique. These symbols make each scene like a puzzle, tempting people to solve the puzzle in the viewing, thinking in the puzzle, and completing the purpose of literary and artistic works to promote people to understand life and the world.
Secondly, in terms of content, it accurately controls and delicately displays the details of life, so that everyone can get emotional resonance.
In addition, the formal work that should be done, it does not slacken, the abandonment of color and sound, which seems to be a risk that will make people lose interest, but in fact it just satisfies the adult's pursuit of immersive atmosphere when appreciating works of art. Black and white prevail, the form is simplified, and the audience's attention is focused on what the creator really wants to convey, and the most important things are highlighted.
Symbolism is a creative method that conveys the artist's hidden thoughts or emotions with the help of tangible and concrete things, which can make abstract expressions traceable and tangible, and is an interesting creative method that can make the connotation richer and the intention more lofty. Much of the reason Father and Daughter has gained so much attention is due to Michael Dudwitt's extensive use of symbols.
The theme that "Father and Daughter" wants to convey is more obvious, that is, family affection. But in watching, I will still be confused about some details, such as the scenes deliberately emphasized by the camera, the props used repeatedly, are they hidden mysteries? It can be said that without understanding these symbols, it is impossible to really understand the story.
The father took a boat away, leaving his daughter alone through the cold and heat, from a young child to a young girl, from a young girl to an old woman. When time passes in girls, I can finally realize that girls are slowly moving towards the end of their lives. As she stumbled toward the shore where her father had left, when she had returned to her girlhood as if she had passed through a tunnel of time, I understood that this impossibility was indicative that the girl had passed away, and that time could only flow in the land of fantasy.
At this time, the girl who changed back to the appearance of a girl saw her father, who had already gone before her at the beginning of the story, and then all the girls stood on the shore and looked out, which was a hopeless wait or a deep memory.
After understanding where my father went, you can also read what the recurring scenes and props symbolize.
Bicycle: The bicycle runs through the beginning and end of the film, it symbolizes life, the wheel turns, that is, life is running. His father's bicycle was docked on the shore, which meant that his life was coming to an end, corresponding to the fact that he never returned. In the same way, when the girl is young and vigorous, her wheels are running fast, and when she is walking, even the handlebars are shaking, and at the end of her life, she can only push the car forward.
Road and Wind: Since the bicycle symbolizes life, the road with life and the ups and downs on the road symbolize time and circumstances. When the girl and her father first came to the river, she had his company, dependence and help, so she could surpass her father and ride up the steep slope without much effort. When her father left, she faced life alone and seemed lonely and difficult. So in the later picture, even if she is a little older and should be more powerful, she seems to have a very difficult time going uphill. This is the most authentic portrayal of the power of family affection, there are relatives, you can do anything, because you know that there are mountains behind you, ready to live.
Shore and River: The river sends the father away, and the bank is used to look at another world, so these two are the dividing line between life and death. When the daughter looks at the river from the shore, she is actually conveying multiple emotions. When she was young, she did not understand what death really was, and she thought that her father's departure was temporary, so her father's bicycle was still leaning against the tree, and the bank and the river were like ordinary doors, as if waiting a little longer, opening it, you could see his father's shadow. When the girl grew older and understood that death meant that the man would never return, the bicycle that her father had parked on the trunk of the tree was gone. This symbolizes the maturity of her heart, when the shore is not used for expectation, but for remembrance and remembrance. Later, the girl and her friends crossed the boundary between life and death, and she would stop for a while, but she did not get out of the car, and as soon as the friend waved, she followed. Later, the girl sat in the back seat of her lover and passed by here, and she did not stop, but only glanced at it. The shorter she stayed on the shore, the more it meant that with the maturity of her mind, she continued to face up to the reality of her father's departure.
The bicycle symbolizes life, the hardships of life are hidden in the wind and rain on the road, and the degree of understanding of life can also be verified by the length of time she has been expecting or meditating on the shore. The use of symbols here is concise and profound, better than a thousand words of narration and commentary.
The details are the bricks piled up into the final complete work of art, and they can determine the quality of the whole. A responsible art creator will not skimp on the energy of creative time and investigation, and his consumption of polishing details may far exceed the production of those grand narrative scenes.
In Father and Daughter, there are a lot of exquisite details. For example, before his father went ashore, that is, before he died, he turned around and hugged his little girl again. People's thoughts about their loved ones before they die are all between such hesitation and turning back. When the character has a human brilliance, his emotions will also resonate with the audience.
When the girl traveled with her friends and came to the shore again, she couldn't help but "look" at her father again. Finally, caught in the memory, she was called by her friends and got on the road again. At this time, the camera highlights the girl's wheels and the huge tree shadows of the wheels that crush past.
Shadows are often used to show psychological stress, and the death of the father is an emotional burden on the heart, bringing heavy sadness and pain. When the girl sets off again, crushing the past from this huge shadow, that is, the pressure, she is actually saying that she is ready to unload the burden, life is going to start again, and she also has to re-examine her father's departure. Pessimistic clutch, this is a must in life, she can't refuse pain, but she can choose to despise. In the future, she may still stand here and remember her father, but there will be no more grief that torments her in that memory, only warm memories related to her father, and the audience can also appreciate her firmness and courage.
The girl whose life was about to end came ashore, and she found a small boat in the clearing in the grass, which her father had rowed before leaving. Watch the film carefully, and you will find that the girl stood by the side of the boat and gently stroked it before entering the boat and lying down. The action is familiar, like a child stroking his mother's hair and asking for his parents' arms. The girl is also calling for affection, and the boat is the medium that evokes her desire for affection.
The boat was something that my father had used when he was gone, and it belonged to my father's old things, so it had the smell and memories of my father on it. This is a capture of the nostalgic behavior of "seeing things and thinking about people", you can't help but admire Michael Dudwitt's observation of life, he embedded the fragments of life into his film without any mistakes, infused with real emotional expression between black and white influences, in such sincerity, you feel the emotions conveyed by the characters, it is difficult not to think about the extended thinking of your own situation.
From capturing reality to conveying emotions, this is the most direct force of a work of art.
The role of color on artistic creation is not only a tool, it is also a narrative language, dim colors express oppression, bright colors call for clarity, and by using colors to create a specific emotional atmosphere, it can help highlight the content that really matters.
Father and Daughter is a flowing ink painting, with black, white and gray being its basic color block composition. This is in line with the temperament of the life and death issues it involves, and there is some quiet atmosphere background.
Although this background deprives us of part of the visual experience, it creates a sense of tranquility. In the slow and orderly progression of the story, only the music is interspersed, fluctuating according to the ups and downs of the plot. When the story is deep enough and the sound effects can be rendered, color seems to be an unnecessary factor. Without the colorful colors grabbing attention, we would focus on the story itself.
Family affection is the most inexplicable emotion in the world, it is usually silent, but it lurks in every aspect of our lives in detail, such as the gaze of our parents behind us when we leave home. Family affection is simple and dull, but it is also strong and powerful, and the family affection expressed in the story is also so implicit, so the color of the publicity is not suitable for it. On the contrary, it is a concise form of creation that can match the love of such a simple and non-utilitarian relative.
Of course, in addition to highlighting the most important family affection, the use of color minimalism also has a wonderful point, that is, to create a sense of distance. The distance between the father and the girl is life and death, and the girl standing on the shore to remember her father is the distance between the past and the present. There are also bicycles that constantly come and go on the road, which symbolize the passage of time, so life is also a long distance from the beginning to the end.
Black and white images bring a very different visual experience from color video works, things lose color and become strange, as if they are not what we are experiencing or familiar with at the moment, everything seems to come from a distant era. Isn't that how we feel when we reminisce about the past?
In the film, Dad has become a thing of the past, he is a memory of the girl, and we watch such black and white stories as if we are looking back on her life.
Almost twenty years have passed since the birth of "Father and Daughter". Although its colors are monotonous and its themes are common, with its ingenious ideas and the use of many creative techniques, it has not only derived picture books and entered the world of teenagers and children, but has also occupied a place in the emerging field of short film animation and picture books.
It will also always occupy an important place in the hearts of those who love it. It is like a riddle, always able to lure people into it over and over again, stir people's curiosity to interpret it, and then let these people pass it on to the next person with the pride and joy of reading it.