The Eclipse

Sometimes, something comes along that just leaves you open-mouthed.  The Eclipse – an animated short by Gabriel Schemoul is one of those things.  It tells – in a beautifully melancholic way (or is that melancholically beautiful?) the story of a winter spirit who, emboldened by an eclipse, decides to take a look at what he has been missing – the world around his icy cave.  Yet his joy and awe is short-lived when he discovers that he cannot join this “new world” without endangering it…

With a soundtrack by Kate de Rosset (her beautiful song, Flowing Into Joy) this animated short looks like it was created by a host of talented people.  Yet this was a solo project for Paris-based Schemoul.  He says, quite simply “I put all my heart and energy into it” and it shows.  It’s a thing of beauty, steeped in the traditions of European folklore and fairy tales and a beautifully structured story of... well, you decide.  You can watch it below – but be warned; you might need a tissue.