2023 HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
A young boy named Daniel tells the story of his family traveling, by train, to a dark location. The place they are headed is known only as the Smokehouse, and he’s unsure of what’s in store for him when he arrives. HUMO is set during the Holocaust, and Daniel is one of millions that were taken from their homes and moved to horrific places like the Smokehouse.
Using stop motion, HUMO brings to life the story of the Holocaust once more, a topic that has been revisited time and time again. This particular story is through the eyes of a child, Daniel, and his story feels more emotionally powerful as a result of it being told by someone so innocent. I always wonder if animation like this can effectively bring to life the emotions present in the characters that viewers see on screen, whether or not it’s capable of really hitting home and creating an emotional response from viewers. HUMO sees animation that edges on creepy, but not in a bad way. The film gives viewers the same feeling they might get when walking through a cemetery–where they know they are completely surrounded by death, and it’s a combination of humbling, horrifying, and saddening. That’s what this animation does to viewers throughout the course of HUMO–as it blends these feelings together, making viewers uncomfortable along the way. If you don’t feel uncomfortable knowing the things that happened to the Jewish population during the Holocaust, there might be something wrong with you–and Director Rita Basulto knows that her animation will force viewers to feel a certain way, to better appreciate the narrative and the historical context of the film.
HUMO is reminiscent of films like Life is Beautiful and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, where a child is the most prominent figure, or at least there is a level of innocence that transcends such a harrowing tale. With Daniel as the face of the film, viewers have no choice but to feel even worse about the things taking place. Again, there’s no doubt in my mind that viewers will have a very visceral response to anything regarding the Holocaust, but with a child telling the story it amplifies those feelings to an unthinkable degree. I do believe that HUMO could have found success with any number of individuals telling the story, but to use a child, Writers Antón Fortes and Juan J. Medina stack the deck in their favor–and it pays off.
I enjoy the pacing of HUMO, because it helps to add depth and understanding to the film. While films like those mentioned above accurately represent the things that happened during the Holocaust (at the very least from an emotional standpoint), they are still more than an hour long–making the process of what happened to each and every individual affected by the Holocaust seem like it took forever. While the process may have seemed to go on forever for those involved, the reality is that the trajectory of their lives were quickly altered, and HUMO brings that to life. The film moves so quickly, never stopping to take a breath–just barreling right along toward the Smokehouse. It’s quick and it’s honest, giving the film new meaning every step of the way.
HUMO takes viewers back to the Holocaust, a place that cinema has traveled so many times before–but with a twist. Writers Fortes and Medina, with Director Basulto, create something that is emotionally jarring, powerful, and honest–and with a child at the helm, everything is amplified. HUMO is a stellar retelling of the horrible things that occurred in the 1930’s and 1940’s–and its unique approach makes every second of it uniquely enjoyable.
Directed by Rita Basulto.
Written by Antón Fortes & Juan J. Medina.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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