The French visual effects firm BUF created this devilish CG short, which proves that one can say a lot in a short period of time. A priest gets a call to intercede into the life of a miserly farmer, who has been saving his money all his life, and may be in danger from a shadowy figure racing toward the man's cottage on a motorcycle. Like a door-to-door salesman, the priest offers the man an offer he should not refuse. The super-deluxe machine the priest is offering will give the old man a guaranteed trip to the pearly gates. Or will it?
This short takes its clever premise and delivers in a sly, subversive way to poke fun at the church, as well as life and death. The CG animation has a warm, grainy, rustic feel, which is contrary to the bright, slick CG that's typical of feature animation in the U.S. Director Samuel Tourneux wrote the script along with Karine Binaux and Olivier Gilvert, crafting a story with tight plotting and good timing. Even though a good part of the film takes place in the old man's home as the priest pitches the old man, the film still retains the breakneck energy that the action sequences have. Take note to the pacing of the priest versus that of the old man and think about how it matches their personalities and motives perfectly. This black comedy doesn't say anything new about its themes, but in the way it does it, it puts the themes into a new and poignant light.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
