Fallen Art - Tomek Baginski

To say that "Fallen Art" is an excellent dark comedy with a substantial dose of cynicism, however, does not provide a close enough definition. The film effectively smashes the principle of hierarchies and blind obedience in the military through the use of humor, and this very sense of humor along with the way in which the subject is approached necessarily reflect to a degree current values of Polish culture (with everything that implies).





Welcome to Atoll, an old, forgotten military base somewhere in the Pacific. In this self-contained environment, where the only rule of law is that of obedience to the chain of command, art, for art's sake, still finds a way to flourish.

After watching "The Cathedral" this movie definitely comes as a surprise. Tomek Baginski's second animated short marks his debut as team director and is a clear and intentional departure from the style of his previous film. The use of a vibrant color palette, faster and more functional editing, lighter music and immersive visual language helps shape this movie into a dark comedy that successfully manages to transmit characters' traits and provoke true emotions in the viewer. "Fallen Art" is no doubt a visually stunning piece (yes, even more than expected), and it manages to distance itself so much from the sanitized look of CG renders that some of its shots look like beautiful paintings. The sound design of the piece follows this same logic by helping to convey a sense of texture, atmosphere and space.

To say that "Fallen Art" is an excellent dark comedy with a substantial dose of cynicism, however, does not provide a close enough definition. The film effectively smashes the principle of hierarchies and blind obedience in the military through the use of humor, and this very sense of humor along with the way in which the subject is approached necessarily reflect to a degree current values of Polish culture (with everything that implies).