Oscar Shortlist Interviews: Director Florian Maurice Shares His Favorite Shot From ‘Au Revoir Mon Monde’ (Exclusive)
Cartoon Brew invited the filmmakers behind each of this year’s 15 Oscar-shortlisted animated shorts to share their favorite shot from their film and explain why it’s special to them. The pieces are being published in the order that materials were received.
In this piece, we’re looking at the French student film at Au Revoir Mon Monde (Goodbye My World) from directors Estelle Bonnardel, Quentin Devred, Baptiste Duchamps, Maxime Foltzer, Florian Maurice, and Astrid Novais.
A cg-animated project and the sextet’s fifth-year graduation film at MOPA School of 3D Animation in Arles, Au Revoir Mon Monde follows a man stuck in a fish costume racing against the clock towards a mysterious tower, as the world nears its end.
Below, one of the directors, Florian Maurice, shares his favorite shot from the short and shares its significance to him:
This shot isn’t the most sensational in the film, but it’s one of my favorites for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s one of the first shots I had in mind while writing the script, and to be able to draw it on the board and see it in the film is very satisfying. Secondly, for me it’s the shot where the film really begins. One of the keywords during the writing of the film was “spontaneity,” and I think this shot is a perfect representation of this.
As a panicking crowd desperately tries to escape the inevitable, our character stands at the opposite end of the spectrum. Static and pensive, and of course in shock at what’s happening in front of his eyes. There’s a lot going on in his head, but only one thing will come out of this brief moment of uncertainty: to get back to his love as quickly as possible. His bulky suit and acting also make him look like a child, which makes this moment even more pure and naive.
The music also plays an important role, with a sort of ticking clock that keeps us out of breath – only to take off in a catchy, melancholic melody that’s completely in sync with the start of our hero’s race. The light is also very important, at our character’s back as he runs into something darker. He’s plunging towards the apocalypse and his own death… and he knows it. But it doesn’t matter because he has to reach his girlfriend. That’s why this shot precedes the film’s title, Au Revoir Mon Monde, like a farewell note left in a hurry on a piece of paper. It’s as if our hero were saying, “I’ve got to go now, I’ve got something important to do! See you later.”
Read the other entries in the series:
- Nicolas Keppens on Beautiful Men
- Dice Tsutsumi on Bottle George
- Nina Gantz on Wander to Wonder
- Kei Kanamori on Origami
- Loïc Espuche on Yuck!
- Torill Kove on Maybe Elephants
- Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani on In the Shadow of the Cypress
- Anna Samo on The Wild-Tempered Clavier
- Iain Gardner on A Bear Named Wojtek
- Laura Gonçalves and Alexandra Ramires on Percebes
- Tod Polson on The 21
- Alexandra Myotte & Jean-Sébastien Hamel on A Crab In The Pool
