The short and the short of it: Down beneath the waves with Jonas and the Sea

(image via bergamofilmmeeting.it (c) Marlies van der Wel / HALAL)

SNAPSHOT
Jonas has dreamed of living in the sea all his life. But it’s not possible. Or is it? (synopsis via Vimeo)

There is such delight and whimsicality in this breathtakingly-beautiful piece of animation that you scarcely know where to begin.

In Jonas and the Sea, directed and animated by Marlies van der Wel, we are privy to the lifelong dreams of a man who as a boy is captivated by the idea of living under the sea.

He is long to join the schools of fish which entrance him, but finds himself stymied at every turn by the limits of his body, technological prowess and some accidental twists-and-turns that are at turns hilarious and poignant.

What is so entrancing about Jonas and the Sea, quite apart from the lustrous animation, is how real and touchable the protagonist’s dream feels, how tangible is his passion for achieving what looks to everyone else to be an impossible dream.

But Jonas, gods bless him, is not dissuaded through a long and singleminded life and you will find a whole lot of joy in going with him every step of his gorgeously-quixotic journey.

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