Rob Munday
What’s your idea of a dream holiday? For some, it’s adventure and the unknown, while others prefer the familiar and relaxing. For middle-aged couple Troyer and elephant lover Linda, the animated stars of Nicolas Keppens and Matthias Phlips’ 2018 short Wildebeest, it’s a safari. As can often happen though, dreams can quickly turn into nightmares and the pair find themselves stranded in the wilderness, surrounded by wild animals, with Linda’s iPad battery sure to run out soon.
Combining live-action and animation, Wildebeest plays like part David Attenborough documentary and part Mike Judge animation. Initially introducing us to a dejected Troyer, as he sits alone in his house surrounded by an elephant birthday cake and balloons, we’re soon whisked off to more exotic settings, as we join the couple on their safari. With Linda’s pachyderm obsession meaning she spends most of her time on her iPad learning more about the giant mammal, her husband seems more interested in the flesh of another animal. It’s not the greatest of starts to their safari adventure, but things are about to get a lot worse.
With a premise that could have easily spawned a horror film, Wildebeest takes a much different approach, opting to use humour to land its impact. From the couple’s interactions with the wildlife to Linda’s obsession with continuing to photograph everything (that iPad battery lasted longer than I expected) despite their situation, Keppens and Phlips aim to tickle the funny bone instead of shredding the nerves and it’s incredibly infectious.
Wildebeest employs traditional 2D characters over live-action backgrounds.
The charm of Wildebeest (ok, maybe that close-up shot of a penis urinating isn’t sooo charming!) doesn’t just come from the odd couple protagonists or the humour of their situation though, as the aesthetic also plays a major role in the appeal of the short. With animated characters on live-action backgrounds, an approach we last featured in Terri Matthews’ NFTS short The Wrong End of the Stick, despite the surreal nature of the storyline, the visuals somehow help to ground the narrative in reality and make you empathise with the characters – especially Linda.
And for me, this is really where Wildebeest really won me over. Initially, a lot of the fun in the film comes from laughing at Troyer and his wife, but as the story progresses you start to see a different side of them. For Troyer, despite his sometimes odd way of showing it, he really does seem to love his wife, while Linda, suffering from an existential crisis after her Mum drove her scooter into a tree branch, just seems to want to belong. When she finally encounters her beloved elephants, despite her hair being burnt off following a helicopter explosion, as she strips naked and joins the herd (all to the sounds of panpipe music) it’s a fitting conclusion, feeling both comical and oddly touching.
Having toured film festivals worldwide from 2018-20, Wildebeest arrives online as a Vimeo Staff Pick Premiere. Following on from this much-loved short, Keppens has another short, the brilliant Easter Eggs, doing the festival rounds and once again impressing audiences and juries alike.