Review: No Offense (2016)

Director: Kris Borghs | 7 minutes | animation, short film | Original voice cast: Herwig Ilegems

“No Offense” by Kris Borghs is a very funny and inventive short film that tackles a topical theme: the condemnation of cartoonists of political cartoons. A jury of familiar faces from history and contemporary society each assesses an army of cartoonists. Upon entering the prison, each of the performers gets a makeover.

Borghs shows a keen eye for detail and every centimeter has been thought through. The broken pencils on the flags, the caricature heads of the tribunal, the way in which the imprisoned artists are treated upon entry… It is very well done.

In addition to dealing with a relevant topic, the story of “No Offense” is also nail-biting exciting. The fate of one cartoonist highlighted by Borghs is close to the viewer’s heart. “No Offense” will not help in combating violence against free speech, but it does put its finger on the sore spot. Actually very sad, but nice that we can laugh about it.