The Quinta’s Ghost is an animated horror short that dramatizes the twilight years of Francisco Goya, as he paints his Black Paintings in his house, the Quinta del Sordo (House of the Deaf Man). In a novel twist, the story is narrated from the point of view of the Quinta itself, responding to what Goya paints on its walls. The short, done in computer animation, brings the demons and other nightmarish imagery of Goya’s work to life, incorporating state-of-the-art techniques such as VR painting. It’s a hellish depiction of an artist suffering through grief, madness, and issues of identity.

Chile has had some top-notch adult animation, especially in the horror genre, but Petra and the Sun is better filed under morbid humor, and it was an especially effective example of it too. In the Andes, 71-year-old Petra lives a lonely life until hotter-than-usual weather reveals the frozen body of a century-old mountaineer. Petra takes the body home, thaws it, and spends some uncomfortably in-depth quality time with his preserved corpse…the disappearance of which the police are aware of. Despite its premise, this was one of the funniest films they showed, though it’s definitely not for the squeamish. I felt that the ending could’ve been handled better, but overall, this one I really enjoyed. This short also won a Special Jury Mention.

How is River is Born was definitely one of the more mature shorts in the set. A woman has a sensual experience with what appears to be a nature goddess, but ultimately ends up being something less yet significantly more. This one’s pretty simple in terms of story, and is mostly carried by the beautiful animation.

Ovary-Acting is a comedy short about a 34-year-old woman who is pressured by her family and motherly friends to have children. As the stress gets to her, she unexpectedly gives birth her talking ovaries, leading to a musical argument about the pros and cons of motherhood. The animation style, which uses knit puppets with 2D-animated mouths, brings to mind something out of an R-rated version of KaBlam! This was definitely a fun one to watch, and it has a great sense of humor and heart to it.

Still Moving follows a divorced mother having a stressful car ride with her daughter as they head to their new home. The strength of this short is in the animation, which is probably one of the best depictions of anxiety I’ve seen in recent memory. It’s really experimental, though it definitely seems to be the main focus of the short over the story.

A Night at the Rest Area is an anime short in which a group of anthropomorphic animals on a bus stop at a rest area. There’s really not much to say about this one in terms of story. However, what it lacks in plot it makes up for with gentle yet effective comedy about everyday life. There’s a real appreciation of the mundane, where even the jingle playing as the nearby vending machine heats up your meal is given focus. Obviously, the use of animals adds to a lot of the humor, and the sketchy character designs are great. One of my favorite jokes in this involves a convenience store employee who is anything but convenient, and the punchline being obvious doesn’t make it any less funny (or relatable). This one doesn’t have much but in a way it also has a lot.

The Piano is a hand-drawn short in which a young girl discovers her father playing the piano late at night, creating a bond that lasts into adulthood. The animation is amazing, the music is beautiful, and the ending will warm your heart, if not open the tear ducts. It’s another short with a simple idea done extremely well.

As mentioned before, Best Animated Short went to Playing God, which I definitely feel could’ve fit into either of the shorts programs. This also qualifies it for the Oscars, and I guess I’ll find out if it gets nominated (though the short that won Sundance might be tough competition). Hopefully I’ll get to see it at some point, but overall, the 14 shorts I saw (if we’re only counting the competition) were for the most part highly enjoyable and I loved a lot of the styles used.

The program guide for the New York Asian Film Festival began its description of this film with the following statement: “If you’re still on the fence about whether animation is a genre or an art form, The Missing is here to smack some sense into you.” Those are bold words, but ones that should resonate with anyone tired of animation being considered “kids’ stuff.” An independently made feature and the first animated film to be submitted for the Best International Feature Oscar by the Philippines (which is how I first heard about it), The Missing is an example of animated drama that uses the medium, and its association with and capabilities for the fantastical, in masterful ways to discuss some very dark subject matter. While I don’t think it 100% works, this should still be one to keep an eye on.

Eric works as an animator, and for whatever reason can’t speak—he doesn’t have a mouth. He communicates with a whiteboard he hangs around his neck. One day, his mother asks him to check in on his uncle, only for him to find that he’s been dead for several days. At the same time, an alien from his past has returned to Earth in order to finish something that started years ago. In the wake of his uncle’s death, Eric begins losing more and more of himself—literally, yet nobody seems to notice any of the strange happenings going on with him. It’s up to his fellow animator Carlo (who he’s also in love with) to help Eric figure out the mystery of the alien and what’s happening to him.

The film is rotoscoped–shot in live-action and then animated over. While some may consider this a cheat to “actual” animation, the truth is that this was really the best way to tell the story. The combination of the realistic art style and fantastical imagery perfectly set the tone for what’s about to follow. Meanwhile, in contrast, Eric’s childhood flashbacks are presented in cartoony, crudely drawn 2D animation, which I also thought was fitting, especially with how it’s used in the premise.

While the plot description may make it sound like a sci-fi movie, it eventually becomes apparent that there’s more happening than what can be taken at face value. This is a much darker movie than it initially lets on, and I really appreciated the use of animation to tell that story in a way that makes it stand out. Granted, i didn’t feel it entirely worked well in execution, but by the film’s ending, a scene that will probably stay with me for a while, I understood what this movie was trying to do and I really admired it. Some of the film’s best images are when the animation and production mediums themselves actively revolt against the protagonist, in ways I don’t want to spoil, but also don’t think can be conveyed with words.

A great and creative example of animation being used to discuss difficult subject matter in ways that purely live-action films simply can’t, The Missing is a genre-defying drama that often must be seen to be believed. It’s not perfect, but still should be of strong interest to adult animation enthusiasts. With recent play on the festival circuit, I hope it gets more exposure soon, as well as US distribution. For now, though, all I can do is spread the word.