Ryan

“Ryan” was a very powerful and emotionally charged film. At the beginning I was unsure if I could appreciate the abstract style of animation, but then I started to realize how much the style added to the film. The style made the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters grotesquely clear, as the character’s views of themselves affected their appearances. The more broken they felt inside, the more broken and disjointed the modeling was. It effectively conveyed how helpless Ryan felt in missing the glory days and doubting his own abilities as an artist. The fear of failure was also represented well by the suffocating bands of color with how they would come from within and then take over completely. What was especially powerful is the documentary style within the style. The real life conversations would be dramatic enough in live action, but it makes it much more personal to be able to literally see inside the characters’ heads to know exactly what they feel. I really liked how it the film ended, with the pan out to reveal the reflection of Ryan in the window, bringing the idea of how artists see themselves versus how they actually are full circle.

I also have a brother named Ryan isn't that cool