Thursday, December 04, 2008

Best Short Film Ever



I can't stop watching this clip. I've seen it like 50 times so far.

It's the "Tour Eiffel" segment from Paris je t'aime. It is brilliantly directed by Sylvain Chomet, and brilliantly acted by Paul Putner and Yolande Moreau, among others.

This is a version with Spanish subtitles. I can't find an English version, but I don't want to wait around for it to appear in English and risk seeing it pulled off the web before I can share it here on the blog. But (unless you can read Spanish or speak French) the only lines you'll need translated are those spoken by and to the little boy who opens and closes a nested narrative frame. In opening it, he explains that his parents met in prison, and that before they met his father was sad because he lived in his house all alone. In closing the frame, the little boy announces the end of his history; he is then knocked down by two boys who call him "Son of mimes."

The other segments of Paris je t'aime are not quite this wonderful, but they are all worth seeing on a bigger screen.