Beasts of Death (Bestias de la Muerte) - Review

I cry at a lot of movies. It takes very little to bring a tear to my eye, but from my experience, the ratio of shorts that I have seen and the amount I have cried at them is less. There are some exceptions; Kitbull from Pixar's Sparkshort collection turned me into a puddle, Late Afternoon from Cartoon Saloon feels like genuine trauma when I think back on it, and now I have Beasts of Death (Bestias de la Muerte) to add to that list. I was initially pretty wowed by the animation, it’s Tim Burton character design and glowy lighting is pretty, but the film is more than just pretty. I found myself sitting up in my chair with my hands on my face as if I was anticipating a goal in a tense football match. As the tension of the story ramps up, so does the emotion, crashing into you by the end and leaving you both satisfied and begging for more from this animation team.

Claudia has recently lost her mother, and can be seen calling out to the spirits to bring her back, at whatever cost. Claudia’s father tries to comfort her but his words are not sinking in. When Claudia’s call outs are answered, she gets into a lot more than she bargained for. The stages of grief are manifested as giant monsters that all push Claudia’s grief to a new level, forcing her to face the reality of the situation. The underworld where Claudia fights through changes and adapts as she progresses throughout her journey.

While the short is under ten minutes long, the world is so expertly built that I knew every detail of what the filmmakers were trying to convey. This is such a testament to the confidence that writer and director Sandra Powers has in their audience. The story isn’t ambiguous but there is no verbal explanation of where we have come from before the story, or what has led us to these emotions. They are given to us in a way that feels like it serves the world more.

The world itself is a marvel. I think the design of this film is so stunning. I mentioned the glowy lighting in the film which gives it such a distinct style. Every source of light glows around it and further outlines characters and surfaces to give the environment such depth and scale. I also really enjoyed the "unfinished" sketches and imperfections in outlines to hair or beams of light. This is something that highlights the authenticity of the film to me in a huge way.

The authenticity extends beyond just the visual though, with the story feeling like something more than just an animation showcase. You can tell that this story is something Sandra Powers needed to express. The interpretation of grief in this way can only be expressed through an emotional lens. You don’t get this nuance from the desire to make a cool short film that looks and sounds nice, you get it from the personal connection that you have with telling this cool story that looks and sounds nice.

The music is also great, and continues with the care of the rest of the film. This is even down to the timing of actions in the animation, where characters move and act on beat at times to accentuate the gravity of the moment, heighten the tension or sell the emotion.

The film is one that make me desperate to see more from this team. I hope that Sandra Powers continues to tell their stories in this format and the extremely talented animation company comes along with them. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to watch this, and know that even in the age when so many stories are being sidelined and lost in the noise, the earnest and quality ones will always rise to the top.