At one point or another, it’s happened to all of us — a sudden realization that you’re simply repeating yourself with little satisfaction. You pick up your phone, scroll through social media, hit “like” a few times, then continue on with your routine. Rinse and repeat. Now imagine one of those adorable GIFs you’ve just “double-tapped” is living the same exact experience. In this week’s Staff Pick Premiere, award-winning animator Will Anderson imagines the life of an animated GIF after its shift is over and the walls start caving in. An existential crisis born out of a culture hungry for internet fame, “Have Heart” starts with an endless loop and develops into one of the most relatable, original, and darkly comedic films we’ve seen in a long time.
As with his BAFTA-winning short “The Making of Longbird,” Anderson’s work originates from a personal connection to his characters. Whether it’s struggling to communicate or searching for meaning, Anderson improvises scene by scene, allowing the character to drive the story to unexpected places. Duck, the central character in “Have Heart,” is endlessly stuck trying to fly away, but always falling back down to bits. Seeing him trapped while under pressure to perform for an audience inspired Anderson to explore Duck’s story further. If that loop is his job, then “what’s his boss like? How do they feel about each other? Does he have a partner? What are they like and what do they do?” And so on.
To explore Duck’s world, Anderson worked with longtime collaborator Keith Duncan, whose exceptional sound design infuses emotion into the stripped-down, internet-friendly GIFs. As the story develops, Anderson impressively captures Duck’s existential anxiety by playing with the film’s physical frame — the more Duck questions his surroundings, the more space expands and collapses around him. To take this a step further, Anderson also made a 360 version to emphasize Duck’s feelings of being watched. Assembled as a completely independent project, mostly on his commutes to and from work, Anderson’s designs might seem simple. But with their clever shapes and movement, the colorful building blocks create a real sense of empathy, while reminding us of what’s actually important. As the title states, “Have Heart” is a call to action — to look past the social media streams and focus our attention on the physical world.
We hope you enjoy the film (give it a like) then go out and give someone a little extra love today!
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