-Written by Kyle Bain.
2024 FILM MAUDIT 2.0 REVIEW!
A chilling fever dream, two individuals see the world through a series of explosions. As the world crumbles around them, and it begins to blur, fall apart, become unrecognizable, they must use one another to retain their sanity and safety. This is a Story Without a Plan is a title representative of both the wild narrative and the metaphor for this wild life.
If you’re at all familiar with the Film Maudit 2.0 film festival, then you know the chaotic, but incredibly interesting films that appear in it each year. This is a Story Without a Plan fits right in at this festival, attacking potentially profound topics via unique and eccentric ways.
This is a Story Without a Plan in particular uses rough animation to develop a story that extends beyond what it should be able to. What I find interesting about this is the fact that the rough visuals should be just that, rough–but they look far more textured than I had initially anticipated. I believe this adds to the depth of the film, to the story that it’s attempting to convey. This is a Story Without a Plan, again, is deeper than it may initially appear–and the visuals play a significant role (maybe the only role) in that. Layered one on top of the other, creating depth–the use of one and two dimensional animation works as a metaphor for the depth and the weight that the narrative holds. With “explosions” being one of the primary focuses of the narrative–the gravity of the film becomes more intense as it moves forward. And I say it that way (“explosions”) because I think you’d be hard pressed to come to the conclusion that these are, in fact, explosions. The only reason I would refer to them as such is a result of the online description. Beyond that, however, these visuals are truly left up to interpretation.
I feel that This is a Story Without a Plan begs us to look inward, then outward at the world around us. Through a combination of serene and chaotic visuals it actually does a good job of expressing this to viewers. I believe this film finds an interesting balance in this regard–and its message is heard. Once again, through a wild ride quite typical of Film Maudit 2.0, Director Cassie Shao brings This is a Story Without a Plan to life with a sort of grace.
Directed by Cassie Shao.
6/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
