★★★★☆
Shimmer is a beautifully charged film detailing the rift that exists within families in a way that is both evocative and meaningful.
Shimmer, written, directed and produced by Andrés Palma, was made with the animation studio ESCENA. The film follows a family of three: a father, Ricardo (Alfonso Borbolla), his eldest, Luíca (María Penella Gomez) and her younger brother, Mati (Jaden Juárez). Living in a dark, abandoned ship yard, Ricardo is completely obsessed with finishing his lighthouse to the detriment of his relationship with his children. His single-mindedness brews resentment within Luíca, who is determined to find her pathway in life away from her father’s reckless ambition, not just for her own sake but for her brothers, too.
It was born from the director’s own emotional struggles, grappling with the prospects of parenthood and dedication to their career. The film ponders the question: are great passions worth the connections we sacrifice for them?
Using a 3D animation style, the film effectively captures the gritty, isolated, and hostile world in which it exists. With piles of junk and debris detailed in every corner, covered in filmic dust. The audience is immediately thrown into a world unlike our own. It’s very much reminiscent of the landscape pictured in WALL-E, a reality shrouded in abandonment. Here, the dark and dull colour palette becomes an external reflection of the characters’ feelings towards one another. The emotional abandonment is happening as Ricardo pulls away from his children, and likewise, Luíca’s resentment towards his behaviour.
The character design is executed expertly. The sharpness of Lucia’s character features, her eyes slick compared to the rounder and larger eyes of Mati, expresses how Luíca has become hardened to Ricardo’s neglect. Mati’s eyes, in contrast, express his innocence and childlike excitement. Ricardo’s design looms over like a shadow. His elongated neck crones over his work at the lighthouse, which acts as a representation of his unyielding addiction to work, a major point of darkness in their lives. The voice work of Borbolla, his harsh, low tone and biting words, conveys a sense of dread every time he interacts with his children.
More is said through the atmospheric sound design instilled by the film. There is a sense of vastness as objects clatter on the floor; they echo throughout the world. Huffs of frustration from Luíca, as her father ruins their time playing, cling to the audience’s mind. These gaping, distant sounds only add to the constrained connection that exists between Ricardo and his children.
One of the most compelling parts of Shimmer is the use of light, perhaps aptly so given its name. The lighting became instrumental to the storytelling, the red and yellow lighting became key motifs within the film. The red represents Luíca’s stubborn, angry, focused and single-mindedness in her pursuit to find a path within the dark canyon. She uses these red flares throughout the film to light her way through the jagged, sharp rocks, creating this alluring glow in the visuals. Then, as Ricardo tinkers away at his lighthouse, the yellow glow begins as a representation of magical otherworldliness, but ultimately loses its magical quality in the film’s final act.
The strongest point of this film is when these bioluminescent sea creatures appear on screen. Their glow perfectly brightens the dull, muted setting of the shipyard, serving as a feast of light. However, there were some drawbacks. The setting is described to be an abandoned shipyard, but this is not made clear through the set design construct. Also, the editing could be more succinct, allowing for the main emotional peaks of the film to be more rewarding for audiences.
The Verdict
A treat for the eyes, it is stylistically courageous but lacks the streamlining required for an impactful ending. Shimmer is an incredible directorial debut built on imaginative and exciting ideas. Any lover of animation, good storytelling or both, will not be disappointed when watching this.
Words By Ayomide Asani
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