Fierlinger

A couple nights ago I chanced upon a really amazing animation on television that kept me up past my bedtime. It was a sketchy loose narrative that was structured around people talking about their experiences when they were alone, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. It was gorgeous- beautifully written and drawn. It was the most moving animation I've seen since I first saw William Kentridge's work.







There's a little preview of the movie here: if you stick your fingers in your ears and don't listen to that movie announcer voice-over, you can get a little bit of the idea. It's called A Room Nearby, and it's a lot less simplistic than the voice over makes it seem.

It turns out that the animation was made by John and Sandra Fierlinger, who live in the suburbs of Philadelphia. John Fierlinger teaches animation at the University of Pennsylvania and turns out to have been responsible for some very funny little Sesame Street shorts that have a bit of a cult following. They were after my time, I think, but they're all on youtube, and you might recognize them: Teeny Little Super Guy. Being Canadian, though, I prefer this one, also from Sesame Street.