Rob Munday

The separation of the parental unit can be a hard thing for any young child to understand and a hard thing to portray in a film. Perfectly capturing this confusing time in an adolescent’s life, Milena Rodams’ EMCA grad film Video_souvenir takes us on a heartbreaking journey through the turbulent break-up of Olive’s Mother and Father, all seen through the innocent eyes (or camera) of its youthful protagonist.

Whilst stories surrounding divorce/separation can be a bit of a rarity in the animation field, it feels like the perfect match for Rodams’ contemplative narrative. Featuring a “cute” visual-style that you would normally expect to find working alongside a more lighthearted narrative, Video_souvenir’s bright aesthetic feels like the perfect contrast to its darker storyline. Throw into the mix Rodams’ decision to tell her tale directly from the perspective of its young protagonist, by fashioning the piece as a video diary shot from Olive’s new camcorder and you’ve got exactly the kind of filmmaking we look for on Short of the Week – Relevant, Unique, Emotional, and Entertaining.

Unfortunately, we don’t know too much about Video_souvenir or its creator – but the one thing we do know is that this is a brave graduation film from a filmmaker with a real flair for storytelling. If you’re out there Milena feel free to tell us a bit more about your film in the comments below and let us know what you’re working on next, we’d certainly like to see more of your work.