Name(s): Pendulum / Furiko / 振り子
Format: Special (1 episode)
Studio(s): N/A (Unknown)

Pendulum is a 2012 animated short film, and throughout its three minutes the short features a clock’s swinging pendulum to show the passage of time and transition the images of a man’s marriage. I was worried this would be like another short film called The House of Small Cubes in that it aims for the heart strings, but by featuring such a generic life, it doesn’t gain the impact from pulling off such worn sentiments in art.

To my surprise, Pendulum is far more personal and doesn’t try to represent every man’s life so much as a specific one, and thus its emotional impact is more defined. We know the actual significance of the imagery, as it actually feels like the visual narration of a man’s subconscious hang-ups, those being love, indulgence, and regret.

The minimalistic sketch style is distinctive enough, and the pendulum transitions are allowed a more dynamic, emotional rhythm when paired with occasional zooms that do away with the moving, circular frame, yet transfer that kinetic energy into rotating, panning shots of critical moments. It’s a solid watch, and touched me a bit. The short is set to alternative rock band Muse’s “Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption)”.