Music of despair

KOCHI: When her friends enjoyed their evenings by scrolling social media and watching movies on OTT platforms, Kottayam native Sethulakshmi M was dedicated to star gazing. She adored the twinkling lights of the sky. This love for the stars inspired her to create the animated film, Arike. 

The film by the young director was premiered at the recently concluded International Documentary and Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram.  The five-minute-long short is about a young widow fantasising about joining her husband in the stars. The film, void of any dialogue, narrates the idea through Dawn Vincent’s music, the music director of Nna Thaan Case Kodu. 

The creator says, Arike is the final project of her three-year animation and visual effects course last year. 
“I love fantasies and always wanted to work on a project in the genre. One day, while stargazing with my friends, we ended up discussing myths about stars. There is a tale that dead people turn into stars. That became the plot for my short. I have used three and two-dimensional styles in it. Fantasy contents always generate curiosity among viewers of all ages,” says Sethulakshmi, who is busy with her next animation project. 

This is her second time at IDSFFK. Sethulaksmi says the fest motivated her to explore more. “Animation needs patience and will take a long duration to complete. Arike was an outcome of a six-month effort,” she says. “Though there is an increase in animation aspirants, including women, I find many focusing on the technical side rather than coming up with individual creations,” she adds.

 She says the support given to women by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation is a good move. 
“Animation is time-consuming and needs a good investment to complete. So, it would be helpful if the government provides a helping hand to animators too,” Sethuleakshmi says.