Eyelids ★★★☆☆

Review of 'Eyelids' which can be found here on Daily Motion.

Length: 02:34

Written & Directed by Luke White

Genre: Sci-Fi

Date: 2009

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Logline: After losing both his eyelids, a young man can now re-live past memories.

This part live action part animation story is an interesting tale on the origins and functions of the human body. With a varied selection of animation techniques being used, the drawings go a long way to aiding the narration and put clear visuals to the words. It is structured into two halves. The first gives us the setup and explanation about the memory simulator. This part is all animation with good reason. In the second part we meet the narrator, Max Parsons, in a series of video shots, some of which combine with animation. Parsons tale is the payoff as we find out how his unfortunate accident has resulted in the reward of being able to relive memories.

It's a fantasy plot so don't expect any common sense. Like fishing with two hooks, chucking a fish into the street or deciding the best place to re-live a past memory is while cycling down a busy road. You're supposed to forgive all that and enjoy the imaginative story. I found that I enjoyed the live action sequences more than the drawn ones. There is a good variety of interesting shots, some of which very cinematic.

The second half is also the point where soundtrack and sound effects come in, a stark contrast to only having narration in the first. There is one scene where you'll start to wonder if your speakers have conked out though, with a ten second silence which feels like it should've been filled with something. Once the soundtrack eventually does get going, it is a nicely fitting piano melody which works well with both tone and mood.

Overall, a nice animation/film combination with an original idea. Couple of problems with pacing and structure could do with some tightening.

Best Bit: "I lost my eyelids in a fishing accident."

Worst Bit: The huge silent bit in the middle.

Final thought: Yes, I can also revisit past memories. Except I don't need to rip off my eyelids to do it. It's called remembering.

Read a condensed review of this film on Twitter here.