SUMMARY: An elderly Norwegian man tells his granddaughter about his experiences during the war in an effort to distract her while he puts on her winter hat.
WHY IT’S HERE: Pjotr Sapegin’s ‘Through My Thick Glasses’ is a delightful Claymation short in which an elderly man recounts his experience as a youth during World War 2, including his numerous attempts to join the Resistance. With shades of Aardman’s classic ‘War Story’ but with greater scope and ambition, ‘Through My Thick Glasses’ matches its charming animation with a superb script, which is filled with funny moments but also has images of deep sadness, such as a boy who is never able to forgive his mother for the difficult decision she makes regarding him. This lifelong split is portrayed through three simple images of the boy at various stages of his life, his back turned on his mother as she sits with her head in her hands. Combining a moving realism with fantastical moments of embroidered tall-tales, ‘Through My Thick Glasses’ is a short to revisit again and again, reaffirming its emotional complexity even as it effortlessly entertains.
