Tiny Inventions visited my university back in 2018 to screen their short films and talk about their work. At that point they'd already screened Negative Space at a bunch of film festivals, colleges, and even high schools.
They mentioned how there's often pretty different reactions to the ending depending on the audience. At some places, the final punchline makes everyone burst out laughing. At other places (like my school,) the reaction is much more quiet and somber.
They didn't say one reaction was better than the other though, or even what their intent was with the scene. Just that it was interesting to see how different audiences reacted.
It makes me wonder, if they left "crying and..." in the final line, maybe the reactions would skew closer to quiet and somber. But I think the added bit of ambiguity certainly makes the film more interesting, so it was a good decision to leave it out.
Thanks for the reminiscence! Fascinating. My reaction landed in between: I found it funny in a melancholic way, and didn't laugh out loud. Funerals are full of little absurdities, and it can be easier to focus on those than try to reckon, there and then, with the enormity of a death. I think the film captures that beautifully.
This is a wonderful film. Thankyou for showing it and drawing attention to the enriching/subtracting process. Wow.
Great write-up.
Tiny Inventions visited my university back in 2018 to screen their short films and talk about their work. At that point they'd already screened Negative Space at a bunch of film festivals, colleges, and even high schools.
They mentioned how there's often pretty different reactions to the ending depending on the audience. At some places, the final punchline makes everyone burst out laughing. At other places (like my school,) the reaction is much more quiet and somber.
They didn't say one reaction was better than the other though, or even what their intent was with the scene. Just that it was interesting to see how different audiences reacted.
It makes me wonder, if they left "crying and..." in the final line, maybe the reactions would skew closer to quiet and somber. But I think the added bit of ambiguity certainly makes the film more interesting, so it was a good decision to leave it out.
Thanks for the reminiscence! Fascinating. My reaction landed in between: I found it funny in a melancholic way, and didn't laugh out loud. Funerals are full of little absurdities, and it can be easier to focus on those than try to reckon, there and then, with the enormity of a death. I think the film captures that beautifully.