Float

Voices of: Eli Fucile, Bobby Rubio, Luna Watson
Directed by: Bobby Rubio
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Short
Length: 7 minutes
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A father discovers that his young son can float, and decides to hide his power from the world so he'll be accepted.

Review:

Tim: I suppose Float is a perfectly decent short film. I get the deeper meaning and I appreciate the diversity in the short. I couldn't quite say I loved the film, but it delivers a good message. It felt a little too cutesy for me, but it's fine.

The message is quite on-the-nose. A father is ashamed that his son can float, so he tries to hide it from the world. It obviously comes out, leading to the film's single line (SPOILER)- "Why can't you be normal?" It hurts to hear this father utter that line. This does paint a picture of the reality of a lot of families, a lot of children growing up. It's heartbreaking to think about that, so it's a good thing this short film forces you to consider it. What is "normal" anyways? And, what a boring world we'd live in if everyone was normal. This dynamic is shoved at you, but the message behind it is a good one.

The animation is solid, I didn't have any issues with that. I appreciated the diversity of making the characters Filipino-American. We certainly need more diversity in Hollywood. The movie is very simple, but it does get its message across. I watched it with my children twice. My daughter loved watching "the baby!" movie, but at 2 years-old, she misses the significance. My five year-old son didn't really like it. I just asked him and he said, "I'd give it a 1. It's kind of a weird movie. The man with the baby tries to not to let anyone see him fly. And he screamed at him at the park." We talked a bit more about it and he understood that parents shouldn't scream at their kids, but he didn't quite get the deeper message. That's okay, it's really impressive for a five year-old to get that much. This short is really for older children.

Float is a good movie, although it's not my favorite. I would say both viewings, a week or two apart, didn't change my thoughts. It's a worthwhile short, but likely more appropriate for slightly older kids.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



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