All Of Our Shadows, created by the multi award winning Animage Films, is an animated short drama with a surprising amount of depth and precision – in less than 8 minutes.
The short follows a teen boy who is overcome with feelings of angst and panic. His intrusive thoughts of harm and danger create a false reality that hinders his ability to make the distinction between what is – and isn’t – a threat. Simple tasks, such as leaving the house to go to school become daunting chores.
These paralyzing symptoms of anxiety are often left unspoken about because of labels such as crazy or psycho. All Of Our Shadows sheds light on these very normal feelings and thought patterns, presenting them in a digestible and artistic way. With the creative freedom that animation gives, the film takes an artistic approach that blends the mediums of painting and the moving image. The animation (Daniel Greaves, Nicolette Van Gendt, Andy Biddle) is textured with canvas bumps, undefined shapes, and visible brush strokes. All these components work to give the film an impressionist aesthetic. With soft tones and lines, the animation could be comparable to an almost childlike take on Gustave Caillebotte’s architectural paintings.
Along with the visuals, the film’s music and sound design (Jamie Payne, Elian Gray) artfully complement the narrative. One of the teen boy’s fears are personified through a hovering shadow that lurks in the background. The sound design follows the movement of these shadows and sonically captures the tense and trapped sensation that anxiety can cause.
In these times of uncertainty, anxiety is being experienced on a large scale, especially in adolescence. All Of Our Shadows is targeting that demographic specifically, helping teenagers feel seen and understood.
Through a simple narrative, the film is tackling a complex mental health issue and highlighting the fact that anxiety is the mind playing tricks. It takes work to begin recognizing what thoughts are tricks and what aren’t. And, as the film emphasizes, the first step to better understanding this is through talking to others about the problem.
