Hiku

Created by Tristan Domenjus & Adrien Fromenteil as their graduation film at France's Ecole des Métiers du Cinéma d'Animation (School of Crafts And Animated Film), Hiku is a wonderfully atmospheric short centered around one man's struggle to survive in an inhospitable environment. Throughout his multi-day journey he's haunted by images of a ghostly woman and a creeping chill, implying a strange trauma that lingers about the sullen protagonist. Yet at the end of the day, there's a silver lining to his ongoing struggle.

Really enjoyed Tristan and Adrien's choice to do more with less in the dialogue-less Hiku, leaving it up to the viewer to interpret and give meaning of these surreal spells. It's definitely a bit of a rarity these days to see shorts and films leave important plot elements to the imagination, so I definitely appreciated them taking the path less traveled with Hiku. Loved it.