SSF: "Chinti"

In my ongoing, often gleeful trek through the Land of Shorts, I sometimes find myself so blown away by the technical brilliance of what I’m watching that I lose track of (and don’t even really care) what the “point” of the short is.

I’m not saying that’s a good (or a bad) thing. Just reporting. And here, by way of example, is today’s short film, Natalia Mirzoyan’s Chinti, which includes this little tidbit in its Vimeo listing:

The film is made of different types of tea leaves.

That’s right. You read correctly. Tea. Leaves. Just let that sink in for a second. And then, once it’s done sinking in, go ahead and watch.

Amazing.

I love the “softness” Mirzoyan achieves here — a softness that I originally attributed to the material involved. Tea leaves, remember? But it’s a softness that appears in her debut film, My Childhood Mysteries, as well. Only that film was made with pastel on paper (and then animated with After Effects). So it’s clearly something she’s trying to achieve. Very successfully, I must say.

Amazing.

Oh, and remember that part where I said I didn’t really care what the point of the short was any more? That’s only partially true. I didn’t care while I was watching it. But when I got to the end, it punched me in the stomach. And convinced me that I need to go watch Certified Copy again.

What’s more beautiful? The original? Or the copy? Do we care?

Should we?