The Piano by Aidan Gibbons - A Short Review

The Piano is unlike a lot of animated shorts I have seen which are usually based around a comedic scene or a fast paced irreverent action scene. I’m not saying this is all animated shorts by any stretch of the imagination but there are a lot of shorts that fit into these clichés however The Piano goes a different place with its story.

In this film we are introduced to an elderly man playing the piano on his own until another hand joins in playing. We then see it is the man’s wife but as she turns to kiss his cheek she begins to fade away. As the film continues we are shown other points in the man’s life that have defined the compassionate man he is now. From working as a medic and caring for a dying soldier to playing with a toy horse as a child. We see the memories of this man as he reflects in nostalgia of those times in his life that define what he has loved and lost. Towards the end however, these trains of conscious thought end as a young boy rides a toy horse much like his own from childhood. The boy is the man’s grandson and stops to help his grandfather finish the song. 

I do believe that there is something genuinely beautiful about this film. Maybe it is just the synchronization of the piano score and the visual stimulate but I believe there is something more than that. Throughout the film both the protagonist and the audience reflect on their own past memories and question what lies in the future. It feels as though we can all relate to this character, as we will all experience happiness in our lives, we will all experience the loss of a loved one. Young children are yet to experience such things and it is through the happiness and enthusiasm we create for others that is what spurs us on.