Those for Whom the Moon Does Not Shine

You know when something sticks in your head and it keeps returning, time after time? This is something I have felt about this animated short – but even though I first watched it a few weeks ago I thought I would wait till this time (Christmas!) to share this with you.  I don’t know why, but it just seems to fit the season really well.  I guess it is because it brings with it a message of hope and love.  In the original French, Ceux pour qui la lune ne brille pas, is a project by a number of students at Ecole MoPa, a higher-education animation school in France specialising in 3D animation and film.

The plot itself is fairly straightforward, even though the animation is labelled a “philosophical fantasy”.  A dog has been tied to the moon and is desperate to escape so he can run along the rings of a nearby gas giant (perhaps a star).  Yet when help comes in an unexpected form (yes, a giant giraffe!), his escape could mean the end of him – and his unlikely rescuer.

Perhaps the dog’s captivity on the moon symbolises the limits of freedom and the search for meaning. His desire to escape reflects the human drive to define one’s own existence, yet when help arrives, freedom becomes complicated by the risk it poses to himself and to others. The film uses this fantastical scenario to explore the tension between desire and responsibility, suggesting that true liberation involves ethical awareness as well as personal courage.  Oh, and never forget who your friends truly are!  Over to you to make it meaningful in terms of your own life experiences!

This beautiful animated short was directed by Solène Marché, Lou Thoby, Tom Saurel, Evelyne Philippart, Marie Fantini and Amélie Soto, whose careful collaboration gives the piece a confident and unified vision. The film is further enhanced by an original score composed by Matéi Pouzet-Oprean, which is beautifully crafted and adds emotional depth, atmosphere and sensitivity, elevating the impact of each scene which left that lasting impression on me – and, I hope, on you too.