'Howard' by Julia Pott

'Do you remember when we met? You were brilliant, witty, gorgeous to look at... something's changed'

'Howard' is an animated short by MA student, Julia Pott and is a brilliant (in my opinion) representation of the complexity of a woman's feelings. Now aesthetically, the animation may seem a little weird. The characters who are romantically involved are a human and a polar bear, but it is the message that is so meaningful and important. What it communicates to its audience. And this message is something I have rarely seen being explored.

Since the animation is created by an upcoming animator and not a significantly recognisable name, the audience for this animation is very small and this is disappointing. I found out about this video from a short of the week and I feel like it deserves a lot more credit.

The short is a monologue about love, or really, falling in love, the feeling of it and then the dread of it fading away. The female protagonist reflects over her time with her partner, how he made her feel, excited, ecstatic, loved, and then 'something changed'. The thrill is no longer there, flaws become more prominent than they were before, and the passion dissipates. These experiences are all illustrated in the animation, and they are done in ways which are so relatable it is almost comical (easily getting annoyed by their choice of show on television). The short ends with the protagonist saying she can't marry her partner, and I find this to be an empowering message. She does not agree to simply be in a loveless marriage that is inevitably going to fail, she says no and gives both parties another chance with someone else. Divorce rates are so high in today's society that I actually think the underlying message of this animation is very influential, especially if it got more attention.

The line "I love to be loved by you" hints at this message and also illustrates how the protagonist finds someone who she thinks she should love and deserve love off, but not someone she thinks she could spend the rest of her life with. By her choosing to not marry him could perhaps be a symbolism that women have more power in relationships today than they ever did. But also her reflection and contemplating at telling him hints that she also does not want to hurt her soon to be ex-partner.

Visually there is a scene in particularly that I think is very clever. It is the one with the graphic match, 30 seconds in where there is a close up of the protagonist, but then she transforms into a constellation in the sky and I think this is very innovative and I instantly love it. Overall I think there is quite the realism in this short, and I love how the animation is used as a monologue to portray the complexity of a woman's feelings during a regular relationship.