Animated Short Review: The Spine
Chris Landreth Directs National Film Board of Canada Short
Jun 17, 2009
The tattered, battered humans sit in a dark room, listening to a too-earnest-for-words group therapy counselor drone on and on. Strips of skin hang from their haggard faces while they sit next to their equally mangled partners. One figure – half-man, half-woman – literally struggles with itself as it huddles at the end of a couch, away from everyone else.
"How was your week, Dan?" the counselor asks a meek, wizened figure.
"Well, it's been a rough week," Dan (voiced by Gordon Pinsent) nervously starts before his vastly bloated wife (Alberta Watson) interrupts.
"Can I speak?" she says. Without waiting for an answer, she details the myriad ways her husband has disappointed and frustrated her. Despite the counselor's continued pleas of "We need to let Dan speak now," and Dan's mumbled apologies, she continues her hectoring monologue, lost in her self-pitying world.
So begins "The Spine," director Chris Landreth's ode to caustic co-dependence. While it's a compelling vision of relationship dysfunction, the story is not as strong as his previous short, the Oscar-winning "Ryan."
C.O.R.E, Copperheart Animation, NFB Present "The Spine," Starring Gordon Pinsent, Alberta Watson
The film follows Dan as he begins a late-life renaissance following his wife's departure. While he was sucked limp by Mary's continued nagging during their marriage, he becomes a vibrant figure once he is on his own. His spine returns – a kaleidoscopic construction attached to his back – which allows him to create, heal his wounds and, yes, once again become attractive to other women.
This sequence is a riot of poetry, art and colour as Dan rediscovers himself, and even becomes a beacon of hope to others, such as the lesbian Angela (Patrice Goodman). But what will happen when "my songbird" returns? Will Dan continue to embrace his wider horizons or return to his limp ways?
The biggest issue with "The Spine" is the director's treatment of Mary. While Landreth gives Mary a reason for her behaviour (identical to Ellie's predicament in Up), it's not enough to excuse her appalling selfishness in the way she treats her husband. She's the spiteful, selfish scold while he's the martyr of the piece, an overly simplistic setup given the scalding complexities of most dysfunctional relationships.
Love isn't merely enough to explain why he would crush himself in the bloated embrace of a harridan who is too selfish to move beyond her tragedy. And the resolution, set to Joe Cocker's cover of "Bird on a Wire," is supposed to be a sweeping romantic moment, but Dan's martyrdom appears hollow.
Why would he want to destroy himself on the altar of abusive love? It's never completely explained.
While Landreth's classic touches are still in place, he simply hasn't created a set of characters as compelling as the real-life cast of "Ryan." Landreth needs a better scriptwriter to bring his visions to life.
The Final Analysis
It's a no-brainer to say that, if you liked "Ryan," you will certainly enjoy "The Spine." It sets a beautifully dark and twisted mood, replete with Landreth's twisted imagery and deconstruction of the human form. However, it's simply not as powerful as "Ryan," simply because the characters aren't as well-constructed.
Despite that weakness, it gets an 8/10.
Fun Fact: Look for an upcoming interview with "The Spine" director Chris Landreth on this site.
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