Ivan Kander
Crafting a short that combines both whimsy and science fiction can often produce dubious results. But, Bulgarian filmmaker Kevork Aslanyan manages to pull of this rare bit of alchemy with Getting Fat in a Healthy Way, a long short full of big ideas, big hearts, and big people.
The high-concept premise (an accident on the moon has messed with the nature of gravity on Earth) is essentially just window-dressing for the central plot—a shy man must learn to come out of his shell, and, in the process, woo the the dashing woman he notices outside. In a sense, this is all pretty familiar romantic comedy stuff: the basic components of the “love story” feel a bit underdeveloped considering the 20-minute runtime. Along those lines, the female love interest is simply a prop rather than a fleshed-out character. But, dang it, if this film doesn’t make you smile, you’re dead inside. It’s a film with a light, and, yes, airy sensibility that comes off as both polished and incredibly charming. Beyond the stunning use of special effects (this was clearly not a cheap short to make), the production design is delightful—something that would make even Wes Anderson envious. I mean, get a load of that wallpaper!
The special effects aren’t just responsible for eliciting visual wonder either (though, of course, they do that). They also really aid the film’s broad comedic style. The short is chock full of clever sight gags—from floating dogs to airborne musical instruments. If it weren’t for the occasional depiction of a stray erection, Getting Fat feels very much like something that would be at home in a fantasy children’s book. Think something in the same vein as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs or the oeuvre of Roald Dahl (without the subliminal anti-semitism).
“My wish was to use this gravity event to tell a love story between a skinny man and a plump woman.”
Recently featured on Nowness, director Aslanyan conveys his inspiration behind the short: “My wish was to use this gravity event to tell a love story between a skinny man and a plump woman, the visual reference of real true love—like seeing an ‘I’ and an ‘O’ together.”
Despite my issues with the length and story development, you can’t deny that the film completely delivers on its intended goal. Based on an interview with Short Film Window, Aslanyan is already hard at work on his next project—a stop-motion animation with dolls called Passengers. We’re excited to be taken on another whimsical cinematic flight soon.