The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation (2005)

Short films deserve short reviews but as far as animated short films go, this one is a doozey. For 28 moody minutes, director John Canemaker uses the audience as his personal shrink. The content of the film is based on Canemaker’s rocky relationship with his deceased father. The titular imagined conversation has John Turturro as the voice of the son and Eli Wallach as the voice of the father. The duo talk about the elder’s parenting techniques, missteps and failures, with the father often coming up with all kinds of excuses.

It’s a painfully awkward exercise to witness but you can’t help but want to sympathize with the son, longing for the closure that Canemaker will never be able to get. It is also a very one-sided ordeal. As the director and narrating viewpoint, Canemaker has the upper hand in making his side of the story seem like the only side we need to know. That doesn’t mean I felt the short to be emotionally dishonest in any way. Believe me- it’s more emotionally honest than comfort typically allows for. It’s just noticeably one-sided and the philosophical part of me can’t help but wonder if Canemaker was exploiting his control in the narration of the conversation.

The brutal honesty of Canemaker’s venting is likely what won The Moon and the Son its Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. It certainly had little to do with the animation involved. Sure, it’s stylistically appropriate but it’s hardly innovative or inventive. If nothing else, it’s a way for the emotionally damaged little boy that Canemaker never let go of to come out and have his say. The overall presentation works to emphasize the hurt Canemaker feels but I can’t help but wonder if the director ever truly thought that this therapy session cum animated short would be enjoyed by anybody. Appreciated, sure, but enjoyed? I have my doubts.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5