In João Gonzalez’s animated film “Ice Merchants,” which is short-listed for an Oscar, a father and son harvest ice from their house—which is affixed to a sheer rock face—then parachute off their deck to deliver it to the valley dwellers below. Watch here.
The absurdity of repetitive labor, as well as the comfort of such work, is a theme of the film, but it is not the central theme.
João Gonzalez’s animated short film “Ice Merchants,” which won a prize at last year’s Cannes Critics’ Week and is short-listed for an Oscar, opens with a stark image: a child playing on a swing outside a house affixed to a sheer rock face. A chasm yawns beneath the child’s feet. Clearly, the kid has nerves of steel, and so does his old man. Every day, father and son harvest ice from their mountain perch and then parachute off their deck to deliver it to the valley dwellers far below.
The absurdity of repetitive labor, as well as the comfort of such work, is a theme of the film, but it is not the central theme. Gonzalez, of Portugal, told me over e-mail, “ ‘Ice Merchants’ is a family drama about loss and family connection.” Someone is missing from the ice merchants’ home in the cold mountain air. The absence is symbolized by a yellow mug, one that is never used but often contemplated.
“The first thing that comes to me in my process is always an image,” Gonzalez told me, “normally that comes to me while I am daydreaming, sleeping or about to fall asleep. In this case it was a tiny house attached to a tall cliff.” The sense of isolation suggested by that image might seem stressful, but Gonzalez has a tranquil take on the predicament of his animated family: “I find loneliness very peaceful and a lot of my dreams are just me exploring places by myself.
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