Two children (Cheryl Henson and Lisa Henson) run through the woods. They smile, they laugh, they have a truly wonderful time. Their journey concludes in the loving arms of their mother (Jane Henson). run, run is a look at the beauty that exists in the simplicity of life.
In terms of the fourth wall dynamic, this is a truly creepy film. run, run is just someone watching two young girls run in the woods. The camera follows them on their journey and it never loses focus. If you really think about this from a meta standpoint, you’re likely to find something comically creepy about it.
Beyond the odd nature of following two young girls through the woods exists a message that I think escapes the masses during the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Sometimes, we just forget to be happy. We forget that the difficulties we face often have no bearing on our overall day, and that we shouldn’t let those things get in the way of our happiness. As I’m writing this review I received an email from an administrator in my school district, and at the end of her email it reads “Have a great day on purpose!” Eerily coincidental that I received the email while I was writing this review, but I honestly believe that the purpose of run, run is just this–to remember to have a good day, a good life even.
The two girls have not a worry in the world, and while adults may not be able to fully relate to this reality, we can understand that sometimes letting go and appreciating the little things in life is the best course of action. run, run begs viewers to evaluate the way they approach life and how they approach difficult situations, and Henson and Frank Oz, who brought run, run to life, do a wonderful job of conveying this sentiment to viewers.
Capturing aerial footage for modern films is easy. We have drones and other modern equipment that is capable of capturing the perfect shot, but in the 1960’s capturing the perfect aerial shot would have been far more difficult than it is today. The camera work in and the fluidity of run, run is impeccable–expressing just how much time and effort went into creating this short film. This really is a film meant to make viewers happy, but the cinematography is incredibly well done. In a film where it really isn’t necessary, Henson didn’t care, and he made run, run aesthetically wonderful.
run, run is representative of the human race before they become jaded by the horrible things that happen every day. Henson begs his viewers to remember the good things that happen and the good things that have happened to us. Henson aims throughout the course of run, run to tap into the deepest parts of our brain and force us to think of our childhoods–but, even more, he wants us to remember that not everything in the world is horrible.
Written & Directed by Jim Henson.
Starring Jane Henson, Cheryl Henson, & Lisa Henson.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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