Love, as the saying goes, can give people wings. The intense feeling of affection for another person and being loved back is an experience unlike any other, and can often cross cultural, political and social borders, as countless tales, whether fictional or real, have proven over time. In his short animated feature “The Weather is Lovely”, which already screened at Taipei Film Festival and Fantasia Film Festival in 2020, director Lien Chun-chien puts that statement to the test as he tells a story about two people meeting under unlikely circumstances and having to overcome a formidable enemy to finally be together.
The Weather is Lovely is screening at Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival
On the ground, a young meteorologist does her research in a small facility, observing cloud formations and other phenomena, while an engineer of the same age as her is quite literally in the clouds, as he has invented devices which can make him fly. His new invention is a cloud-creator which he is testing at the moment, when he suddenly loses control and the machine drops to the ground, only to be found by the female scientist. Fascinated by the mysterious device, she spends the day testing it for herself, finding joy in the creation of clouds, until she drops it into an aquarium. A giant thundercloud is formed which begins to attack the young girl and the engineer, as he tries to intervene, and moves onto the nearest town to wreak havoc. The two characters need to work together if they want to stop a bigger catastrophe from happening.
In many ways, “The Weather is Lovely” may remind you of the short features produced by PIXAR Studios, which often revolve around simple enough premises, but nevertheless manage to catch the viewer's attention given their impressive animation and themes. Lien Chun-chien's feature and the animation by Veerapatra Jinanavin have a similar effect as you might be at the edge of your seat during the battle of the two protagonists against the storm cloud, which seems like an unbeatable foe. The look of the world, the contrasts and the colors emphasize the action elements, as well as the romance between the two characters, making this short feature an excellent calling card for its creators.
“The Weather is Lovely” is an entertaining short feature blending action and romance. Over the course of its 15 minute-running time, Lien Chun-chien's story manages to create suspense, and a world which feels alive and quite fascinating.
