I loved watching the 8 minute short. It went by so fast it felt like a trailer and now i really wish they come out with a whole movie, it's that captivating! You can easily tell that a lot of effort was put into it and the effects were really cool. Like i said earlier it felt really short but also felt like a full length film at the same time and another repeat: It deserves to get one. So to the makers of this short all i have to say is Great job! and Keep at it, making something this interesting using only 2 voices is quite a feat and i think it was pulled off really well. So once again, keep at it and i hope to see more of this story!
4 Reviews
Style over substance
Horst_In_Translation7 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"The Alchemist's Letter" is a 5-minute short film from earlier this year written and directed by Carlos Stevens. For him, it was the second film after a break of 7 years actually. His work here includes the voice acting of Oscar nominee John Hurt and Eloise Webb, who has a pretty respectable career for her age. This film is not a particularly memorable addition though. Yes it does look beautiful, but in terms of the story I must say this film tried so hard to be deep and meaningful, but it all seemed empty and shallow to me I must say. The animation is really the only reason to watch this brief movie, but I must say animation is so overwhelmingly strong these days that this is simply not enough anymore to cut the cake. I do not recommend this short film. Thumbs down.
magic
Kirpianuscus1 November 2017
a letter. an alchemist. his son. behind the last gift of the father. and a total show. one of short films who deserves see it again and again. for a form of magic who mix the touching message and the lovely animation. almost , an Oriental old story. about life, love, past and duty. or only one of wise supports for reflection. it is not easy to say. but the emotion remains the most significant gift of it.
Beautifully designed and realized animation which draws the viewer through cynicism to make the simple message be effective and touching
bob the moo26 April 2015
A man returns to the home of his once-estranged but now dead father, to find the machine that took the father from the family unit (a memory-powered machine to turn metal to gold), and a letter from the father addressed to the son. From here the majority of the film is the voice of the father reading the letter out to his son.
Mostly this is a cautionary fairy-tale, with a background of darkness but ultimately a warming message of family and what really is important in life; so as a narrative it is pretty simple, but as with all good stories, it is the delivery that makes it rise about the basic bones of what it is. This delivery is strong in several ways, the most apparent of which being the animation. It is technically impressive through, with such a high standard that it is hard to believe it is a short film released for free on the internet and funded by a kickstarter campaign – which is not to look down on either of those things, but just to say that it would not look out of place next to Frozen or a product of much greater resources. However, it is not just the technology but how it is used that makes the animation work. There is a great creativity to the design of the machine, and the way we follow the memories through the various stages, with images and transitions working really well as the camera moves along with them; it is such a good flow and such imaginative images that it is hard not to love it.
The use of John Hurt as the father's voice is equally important as it provides a core of warmth to the narration; it is not just that he has a distinctive voice, but more that he has a great voice, and his performance makes the most of it, feeding the emotional core and the feeling of the fairy-tale. These work together to produce a beautiful piece of animation that is better than the simple moral message it delivers, because it makes it work and overcomes cynicism.
Mostly this is a cautionary fairy-tale, with a background of darkness but ultimately a warming message of family and what really is important in life; so as a narrative it is pretty simple, but as with all good stories, it is the delivery that makes it rise about the basic bones of what it is. This delivery is strong in several ways, the most apparent of which being the animation. It is technically impressive through, with such a high standard that it is hard to believe it is a short film released for free on the internet and funded by a kickstarter campaign – which is not to look down on either of those things, but just to say that it would not look out of place next to Frozen or a product of much greater resources. However, it is not just the technology but how it is used that makes the animation work. There is a great creativity to the design of the machine, and the way we follow the memories through the various stages, with images and transitions working really well as the camera moves along with them; it is such a good flow and such imaginative images that it is hard not to love it.
The use of John Hurt as the father's voice is equally important as it provides a core of warmth to the narration; it is not just that he has a distinctive voice, but more that he has a great voice, and his performance makes the most of it, feeding the emotional core and the feeling of the fairy-tale. These work together to produce a beautiful piece of animation that is better than the simple moral message it delivers, because it makes it work and overcomes cynicism.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
