Liquid Sunshine

This review contains no spoilers.

This is not for the average casual watcher who only sees movies just once through. Nor is it for the average Pointless Action Movie lover who likes to switch his brain off and enjoy constant mayhem. No, instead, Liquid Sunshine is for those who like to watch thoughtful shorts over and over again to try and work out the message the director is trying to give out, and to think about the morals of such a movie. To get the most out of this very well thought-out movie, you have to be prepared to watch this over several times. And by that many times, you probably still haven't received the full message. Clocking in at around four minutes, replaying Liquid Sunshine is not at all time-consuming.

Jon Barton, also the director, voices the only part available in Liquid Sunshine, a man who lies in a hospital bed. Throughout the whole movie, the lonely man talks to us, and Barton gives an impressive monotone. But not only that, the script was pretty close to being spot-on too, if you ignore the tiny inconsistencies. He delivers a script which not only gives us just about enough to go on, but also some light-hearted humour to remind us not to take this too seriously. The atmosphere set felt just right. The music was rather touching, and this was blended in really well with the voice and script themselves to come out with the suitable tense, but light-hearted mood. Liquid Sunshine does a unique feat. You don't feel guilty about smiling, despite watching the despressed man, yet you do sympathise with him; two very different emotions mixed together almost flawlessly.

The message itself is indeed very subtle, so subtle that you have to figure out WHY the man is depressed first before trying to sum up a conclusion, and if you can do all of that in just ONE viewing AND what you came up with is almost the same as the conclusion most other people have come up with, I'll send you any celebrity you fancy to give you a massage, for free. And no, no cheating by checking out the Liquid Sunshine thread beforehand. Oh, and you have to prove it too. But figuring out what Barton tries to get across has its rewards. Dedicate your time towards this short and you will get a warm feeling inside, perhaps even considering yourself to be lucky compared to the poor guy. It is also worth reading the Liquid Sunshine thread AFTER you have come to YOUR OWN conclusion.

But as you are coming to the end of this review, you should know if this movie is for you or not. It may be a four-minute movie, but as you are made to watch through Liquid Sunshine again and again, the four minutes turn into half an hour. The review score does not indicate how I felt about Liquid Sunshine after my first viewing, but my fourth, and I watched it a couple more times after that. So don't think this movie is pants after just one watch when you are too lazy to go through it again. Admittedly, the amusing bits are not as good after three or four times, but it is more satisfying watching it a third, fourth time when you are being forced to find and think about the message. And that is Liquid Sunshine's secret formula, it MAKES you play this movie over and over again. It does not feel like a chore at all, instead it feels like it is something which you HAVE to do, like finding the last piece of a jigsaw or trying to find out that crucial last clue to solve a mystery. Its short runtime makes it even easier to watch it through many times, and if I had to sum up this enjoyable movie in one word, I would say "compelling". It is certainly nice to see Jon Barton do a short of this genre to give us something in the lead-up to the highly anticipated Ringworld, and well done Barton, you have delievered well.

Score: 88/100