Underplayed Gems

Aphasia

Aphasia poster
Directed by
Marielle Dalpé
Country
Canada
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

An animated short film about a woman losing her ability to communicate through aphasia. The animation and sound design change to show the breakdown of her language and the helplessness she feels.

helplessdisorientingmelancholicintimatevisually symbolicquietemotionally starksensory

What happens

Aphasia (French: Aphasie) is a Canadian animated short film, written and directed by Marielle Dalpé and released in 2023. Inspired in part by Dalpé's grandmother's struggle with Alzheimer disease, the film depicts the helplessness of a woman whose ability to communicate is impacted by aphasia, with both the animation and the sound design shifting to illustrate the loss of her words. The film was released in both French and English versions, with the English narration performed by Clare Coulter and the French narration voiced by Andrée Lachapelle in one of her final performances before her death. The English version premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, and the French version premiered at the 2023 Festival du nouveau cinéma. The film received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Animated Short at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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