Au bout du fil

This film is so random and obtuse, I never quite figured it out. I was hoping for some direction from previous reviewers. No such luck. The thing is supposedly based on "Cat's Cradle," a game we often played with a looped string and a pair of hands. There were string in this short, but what is the meaning of the work here. For instance, much of the first half involves some contrived creatures devouring one another. I will search a bit more on this one.

When I first looked up "Au Bout Du Fil", I wasn't necessarily going to write a review for it. However, my feelings about the film are so at odds with the only written review for it, I think I'll throw in my two cents worth.

The film is sponsored by the National Film Board of Canada--and agency that has often bankrolled some wonderful projects over the years. In this case, though, it looks like it's a project that wasn't fully funded, as much of the animation looks incomplete. Some parts have color, others do not--like they just didn't finish the pictures. It's all a bizarre stream of consciousness film--with spiders and weird creatures eating each other and doing stuff that is just baffling. It looks more like a project by a film student than a finished film. Worth seeing? Perhaps...if you are a HUGE animation buff or want to see what the indie animators of the 70s were doing.

It's weird and unsavory but lacks a sense of humor.

This is a somewhat atypical short (if there is such a thing) produce by the National Film Board of Canada. The title is a reference to the string game called Cat's Cradle and the short is a moody and evocative work. One of Driessen's better works, it should be better known than it is at this point. Well worth hunting up. Recommended.