There is a stark difference between what shimmers and gleams versus what appears grubby or desperate in Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski’s Oscar nominated short film, The Girl Who Cried Pearls. This stunning animated film feels like a story you grew up with or something you were told as young person to be taught a lesson. It almost feels like this fable of greed should not creep so closely to images so beautiful but Lavis and Szczerbowski have created a timeless, textured tale that will undoubtedly endure for years to come.
The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a story within a story, as we meet a young girl and her grandfather as he weaves a tale of his youth when she discovers a singular, shining pearl in his parlor. She listens on his every word as he tells her about how this item came into his possession, but she never expected that her relative came from such humble beginnings.
Even upon casual viewing, audiences will notice just how much detail is on display. The production design is a gorgeous beast as we bounce back and forth between the brightness of the real world and then back into the darker, magical elements of the grandfather’s yarn. Look at the newspapers’ stuck to the walls or the texture of the pawnbroker’s shop. You could spend hours and hours combing through the delicate items in the pawn shop’s cases.
Most of our conversation, though, holds tighter to Pearls’ themes and the emotion baked into the story. I couldn’t help but gush over how I saw similarities in the grandfather’s storied home to the shanty where his younger self discovers the magic of the pearls. Or how the characters in the past don’t move their mouths but dance around the frame like dolls–much like how children play or find themselves drawing stories of their own.
The animation of The Girl Who Cried Pearls is undeniably alluring and impressive, but there is a reason why we are drawn to stories like these. It taps into our instinct as storytellers and the appreciation we have as an audience. It’s playful, unique, clever, and gorgeous.
