Playing God

Bluesky

“But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand” - Isaiah 64:8.

The new figure is made to be perfect, shaped in his creator’s image. Proportioned like Leonardo Da Vinci’s ideal, with slender limbs and a well shaped face. We watch the process of creation, watch the careful work that brings him into being. Then his creator departs and he realises that he is rooted to the spot, his feet adhering to a small, neat podium. On either side of him are ranks of other figures, but each one of them is deformed in some way, misshapen, grotesque. Likewise the awful sounds that come from them as they strain towards him.

Who is this figure? With whom should he identify? There is a moment when his hand touches that of his creator and one might think of the dome of the Sistine Chapel. He longs for independence, however, and to escape his frightening situation. When the sculptor recedes, he reaches in vain into the darkness, his cries going unheard. The only solution seems to be to free himself from the podium, no matter how painful – but doing so might have unexpected consequences.

With no dialogue, Playing God is open to multiple interpretations. It’s really a multiplicity of interconnected stories, with each one of the 80-strong supporting cast of figures imbued with its own personality and its own arc. Intricately animated using traditional stop motion techniques, it took seven years to make, with much of that time spent in the studio sculpting and resculpting tiny details. There are all sorts of ways that short films make their way onto the Oscar shortlist, but all else aside, this one has earned its place by dint of sheer hard work.

There is obvious comment here on the animators’ own craft, and a reminder of the scale of investment required to bring something to life. The result may not be as obviously endearing as some other films on the list, but in those many distorted faces and those contorted, straining bodies, something essentially human might be found.

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