Head Over Heels (2012)

1 Nomination, Wins To Be Determined

Nomination: Best Short Film, Animated - Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly

"Head Over Heels" is a short animated film about an older married couple who have grown apart so dramatically that they live in two very different worlds, so different that one lives on the floor and one lives on the ceiling.  Both the husband and wife live their own lives, and though they sleep and eat at the same times, they seem to be nearly oblivious to each other's existence.  When the husband tries to reach out to his wife, they must learn how to cope with the gap that has grown between them.

It is a sweet little short that creates a metaphor for a problem that is all too common in the world.  Without any dialogue, director Timothy Reckart tells the story entirely and successfully through the expressions and movements of the characters, an extremely difficult task in stop-motion.  The stop-motion animation features intentionally roughly sculpted characters, but the fluidity of their movements are beautiful and natural, with a few of the movements, particularly those of the woman, amongst the most humanlike I have seen in a stop-motion film.  Reckart has led the creation of a beautiful design, giving the film a strong visual identity.

This isn't the most memorable or impactful short I've seen in recent years, but "Head Over Heels" is a sweet and well crafted short deserving of its nomination.

Watch "Head Over Heels" on iTunes here.

Remaining: 3164 films, 871 Oscars, 5434 nominations