Nuru (2011)

Directed by: Michael Palmaers | 14 minutes | animation, short film, drama | Actors: Geert Burssens, Danny Riesterer, Mark Van Strydonck

Everything about ‘NURU’ looks strange, unreal. Is this a movie or a computer game? A hybrid, it turns out: almost everything is computer-animated. The film is set in the Antwerp zoo, where a pregnant gorilla resides who, alongside a devoted caretaker, knows shadowy-looking scientists nearby.

The form of the film is not the only unreal thing about the film: the gorilla and her baby turn out to be the subjects of a bizarre scientific experiment, which indeed can hardly be imitated without special effects. It leads to a fascinating denouement. The animations look good at times, especially as far as the gorillas are concerned. However, it does not involve budgets of millions, and that is especially noticeable in the sets that are also fully animated. The need for animation also leads to static camera work, which in turn looks remarkably amateurish. It is to be hoped that the makers will be more selective with the use of animations in the future: physical sets almost always look more impressive and lead to more flexibility in filming than was the case here. ‘NURU’ is now more of a style exercise than a gripping film.