Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Moody, dialogue-free short film has lovely messages.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Canvas
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
An elderly man in a wheelchair stares moodily at an empty easel stand and, later, knocks it over angrily in CANVAS. Inside his house there's a dark closet with women's clothes hanging. When his daughter and granddaughter visit, the girl creates a crayon drawing with a woman as an angel looking down on the man. The granddaughter finds a mysterious hidden room behind the closet and, in it, a painting of the woman. The man appears angry that his granddaughter is in the room. The girl and the painting she has discovered will help the man in ways as yet undetected.
Is It Any Good?
The short film Canvas packs plenty of emotion into 9 minutes (actually, 8 minutes plus a minute for credits). Dialogue-free, the film relies on a combination of animation styles and a melodramatic, strings-heavy musical score, harp included, to convey sensations. The story unfolds through those visual and auditory clues, with the blue tint of the grandfather's house matching his mood and contrasting with the golden yellow outdoors. The lovely story features an elderly man in a wheelchair longing for his apparently dead female spouse or partner. The emotional support of two younger females, presumably his daughter and granddaughter, and the wisdom of the latter, will help him find his inspiration again. It's a beautiful, emotionally intense film that may inspire discussion about grief and healing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the clues that inform viewers of what's happening in Canvas, in the absence of dialogue. For example, when did you figure out what the clothes in the closet represented?
Do you think the man was imagining the reunion with his wife, or was that some kind of out-of-body experience? Why do you think so?
What are the opportunities and shortcomings of the short film format?
Movie Details
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