The short and the short of it: The close enough to reach otherworldliness of The Moon’s Milk

(image via Vimeo (c) Ri Crawford)

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Seven and a half years in the making, The Moon’s Milk is an entirely handmade stop motion animated short about a time when the moon was close enough to be reached by ladder. Narrated by Tom Waits, the film chronicles the last expedition of Captain Millipede and his crew to harvest the milk seeping from the craters. The action take place between the gravities of two heavenly bodies, which further complicates the attraction between the characters. Longing, missed signals, and mishaps lead to the enchantment of the heavens with music.
(synopsis via Vimeo (c) Ri Crawford)

Forget the idea that the moon has either a man on it or that it is made of cheese.

As filmmaker Ri Crawford‘s utterly charming short film, The Moon’s Milk makes delightfully clear, it is, in fact, the repository of sweet milk that bubbles up from its craters, a tasty treat that is now only available to its sole resident, an accordion playing woman with unrequited love for a man she accidentally left behind on Earth.

But once upon a time, the moon was close enough that you could place a ladder between it and a boat, allowing Captain Millipede and his crew to harvest the sweet milk as a way of making a living.

The Moon’s Milk is the story of the last night that this unique occupation was ever possible, with the Earth’s orbiting celestial body choosing that particular time to move off into the orbit we are now familiar with and it is an absolute joy.

There is a poetic quality to the film, augmented by Tom Waits dulcet tones as the narrator, and its ability to be deeply human and otherworldly at the same time.

It is a thing of beauty and authentic humanity that celebrates so many of the things that make us human, set against one of the most magical but emotionally-resonant backdrops you will ever encounter.

(source: Laughing Squid)

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