Stop-motion animation is always a gift, whatever the ends to which it's taken, but I think it's safe to say that Piotr Kamler's magnum opus goes well beyond the conventions of other such fare one may be familiar with. Inasmuch as a concrete tale is told, 'Chronopolis' is just as much a portrait of a place borne completely of Kamler's imagination, with technology and ideas of pure science fiction fancy. More than that, the feature is a demonstration of experimentation with techniques of film-making and animation. Just as essential to the movie as the painstaking movement piece by piece of every active element are rather whimsical uses of lighting and Michèle Peju's editing, producing transitions and otherwise imagery that feel quite novel. This is to say nothing of the fundamental labor of the editing process, nor the careful graphics that are laid on top of the animation at select points which are often so seamless that they look like they could also be part of the untouched footage. Moreover, Kamler photographs the film in a dynamic manner that at some points complements the fancifulness of the aforementioned aspects, and at many others works wonders to make this pretend destination feel like a living, breathing world. Truthfully, though it may not be as immediately striking as some other animated films in the same vein, this is pretty well extraordinary all around, and roundly excellent when all is said and done.
It surely can't be overstated how much detail was poured into the design of all the visuals, certainly including the facets that are manipulated to produce the appearance of fluid movement. An incredible amount of work went into creating this picture, over several years, and much of it from Kamler himself. Even though the writing is perhaps the least important part in this instance given the looseness of the storytelling, there can be no doubt that fashioning that tale even such as it is, a foundation for the whole, was a major commitment of time and passion. Just as much to the point, the conceptual planning of the imagery, the animation, and the cinematography is difficult to even fathom; as arduous as the process is for traditional hand-drawn or computer-generated animation whether 2D or 3D, it seems the development of 'Chronopolis' unquestionably had to be even more meticulous and grueling. The end result can only be the culmination of extreme love and passion to see the project through, for the complexity of the construction is beyond my reckoning.
With all this having been said, it's reasonable to suppose that the title isn't one likely to appeal to the average moviegoer. This is an exploration of art and technique, an act of playful creativity and inventiveness, and it is a great achievement on its own merits. It's also emphatically not the type of narrative fiction that commonly draws in even the more niche audiences, and the storytelling as it presents is mostly minimal and a little amorphous - broad ideas more than the especial illumination of a saga, except perhaps in the latter half. Yet it says so very much about Kamler's skill and intelligence that even without the prominence of elements that commonly attract one to a feature it's more than interesting enough, engaging and compelling, to draw one in, hold our attention, and entertain. What "plot" there is is highly enjoyable, and all the marvelous visuals in and of themselves would be more than to make this well worth watching. 'Chronopolis' exists well outside most any meaningful norms of cinema, but despite or possibly because of that is all the more intriguing, captivating, and rewarding as we watch. Though mileage will vary considerably for general audiences, cinephiles with an appreciation for all the wide, weird, wonderful possibilities of the medium are sure to be delighted. If you have the chance to check out 'Chronopolis,' this is well worth seeking out.
It surely can't be overstated how much detail was poured into the design of all the visuals, certainly including the facets that are manipulated to produce the appearance of fluid movement. An incredible amount of work went into creating this picture, over several years, and much of it from Kamler himself. Even though the writing is perhaps the least important part in this instance given the looseness of the storytelling, there can be no doubt that fashioning that tale even such as it is, a foundation for the whole, was a major commitment of time and passion. Just as much to the point, the conceptual planning of the imagery, the animation, and the cinematography is difficult to even fathom; as arduous as the process is for traditional hand-drawn or computer-generated animation whether 2D or 3D, it seems the development of 'Chronopolis' unquestionably had to be even more meticulous and grueling. The end result can only be the culmination of extreme love and passion to see the project through, for the complexity of the construction is beyond my reckoning.
With all this having been said, it's reasonable to suppose that the title isn't one likely to appeal to the average moviegoer. This is an exploration of art and technique, an act of playful creativity and inventiveness, and it is a great achievement on its own merits. It's also emphatically not the type of narrative fiction that commonly draws in even the more niche audiences, and the storytelling as it presents is mostly minimal and a little amorphous - broad ideas more than the especial illumination of a saga, except perhaps in the latter half. Yet it says so very much about Kamler's skill and intelligence that even without the prominence of elements that commonly attract one to a feature it's more than interesting enough, engaging and compelling, to draw one in, hold our attention, and entertain. What "plot" there is is highly enjoyable, and all the marvelous visuals in and of themselves would be more than to make this well worth watching. 'Chronopolis' exists well outside most any meaningful norms of cinema, but despite or possibly because of that is all the more intriguing, captivating, and rewarding as we watch. Though mileage will vary considerably for general audiences, cinephiles with an appreciation for all the wide, weird, wonderful possibilities of the medium are sure to be delighted. If you have the chance to check out 'Chronopolis,' this is well worth seeking out.
