The Cathedral (2002)

Katedra is a highly philosophical film, and viewers may or may not appreciate it in the first viewing because of the crypticness. When I saw it for the first time, even I was not entirely impressed and discarded the film. However, after reading a few reviews in IMDb which commended the film for its hidden messages, I saw it for the second time only to get a different perception of the film.To me , the film is about existentialism, self-realization and enlightenment. The lone voyager in the short enters a decrepit cathedral, which is made of tranquil human figures bound to trees. As his light falls on their faces, the figures smile, perhaps welcoming their new member. The traveler moves to the edge of a cliff, and looks at distant worlds, then examines the dust on the ground, perhaps to show that all these worlds were at one time united. At this moment, the sun comes out and illuminates the cathedral and the man becomes part of the cathedral. Also the land expands as he despite being on the edge now seems to be at a distance from the end, perhaps leaving some space for another traveler who will attain enlightenment after perceiving the cathedral's message.President Obama was handed an ipad along with this short film Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. I think it was with a view to commemorate Obama's efforts at bringing the nations of the world closer to each other. Katedra is open to interpretations and this is how I perceived it. Hope I didn't sound silly. My rating for this underrated gem on the first viewing: 5/10 and on the second (which counts): 8/10. Please do not get judgemental on the first viewing of this film as it requires time to get some understanding of it.

This is a mysterious, Gothic, fantasy vision crafted from the story by Polish sci-fi author Jacek Dukaj. There is no dialogue in the piece, only a haunting soundtrack that complements the expertly rendered CGI. And what great animation this is: a sense of gentle foreboding permeates every part of the beautiful and grandly scaled cinematography that is reminiscent of H.R. Giger with a dark palette in twilight shades and the surreal organic feel to the 'architecture'. The story starts with a young man leaning on his staff, taking in the huge vista of a sun setting behind a redly lava-rous world that takes up half the sky. As the line of night races past him we take in the scale of what can be seen to be a cathedral, behind him. He appears to sigh inwardly and turns to walk into the huge 'building'... You will probably watch this short over and over again back to back, as I did and, apparently, as did the jury of Siggraph 2002 that awarded this piece their prestigious "Best Animated Short" by unanimous vote. Since this is Tomek Baginski's first major release, I will look out for his subsequent work: to set such a high standard from the start could indicate a rare and special talent.

Anyone who's seen the new Star Wars movies, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, The Matrix Reloaded and other heavy-CGI films can attest that the animation rarely conveys scope or true majesty: when you can tell something is fake, it's hard to let it take your breath away. However, The Cathedral is truly the first CGI I've seen that's left me in awe. The plot is elegantly simple, in fact, everything about this movie is elegant, beautiful and haunting. This is what CGI should be. Either this or Das Rad deserved to win the Oscar for best Animated Short.

Although perhaps a little light on story, Cathedral is a near-perfect display of computer-generated filmmaking. Rich in lighting effects, computer-designed architecture, and visual invention, the film is just great to watch. As mentioned earlier, the story is a little weak, as the filmmakers chose to tell their story with visuals rather than dialogue. However, because of the fantastic visuals and inventive storytelling techniques, the filmmakers' messages are effectively conveyed. While I don't think this could be the best short film of the year, it is certainly one of the best to look at.