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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Concentrate on "More" - a slice of genius by Mark Osborne, March 7, 2003
As others have said, there are other decent short films on Utopia like "The Lion and the Lamb". But the reason to buy this DVD is "More". More is a study of society, yes, but since I look for themes of innocence in my films, I simply must say that "More" rates up with "Cinema Paradiso" as being one of the greatest examples of the undefinable theme of the 'Loss of Innocence' ever attempted on film.Innocence is magic. The character is aware of his inner magic, but does not know what to do with it. It is there for him to open up his body and see. He just stares at it in amazement. He finally finds motivation: an invention that will help him to see the world as he once did. He sacrifices his magic in order to recapture his past. As his company grows and grows, he becomes more and more lost. At the end, he realizes what he is, and looks for his magic, or innocence, which is now completely gone. He looks for it in others, and finds it. I let others comment about how More is a comment on society. To me, it is a exploration of the loss of innocence and it is that which makes it so immensely saddening. The director seems to be saying that once we feel we have lost our innocence (or happiness), we try desperately to hang on to what we felt we had. And the More we want it, the More it is driven away from us. One shot defines this movie: the shot of our main character sitting in the bus staring off into space. It could simply be a still photo and not lose its ability to take breath away from its viewer. The soundtrack, not specifically written for the film, is "Elegia" from New Order's 1985 album "Low-Life". The track is needless to say, beautiful and intimate, and puts your emotions beyond the realm of what a regular film can do. This is really a music video, as the characters have no dialogue. The music starts off with a merry-go-round type sound - a childish sound - which clues you in to how the story was created. More than likely a young Mark Osborne listened to "Elegia" many times in his youth, and created this story throughout the years as a backdrop to the one song he knew could pull great emotion out of him. There is nothing but pure emotion we see up on the screen, and the simplicity of the story and the ease in which Mr. Osborne communicates his themes makes you wonder why other filmmakers struggle with the same topic. Purchase this DVD simply for More. This will touch you, and will surprise anyone you show it to. I've seen it happen myself. 'Tough guys' have simply stared at this short and were speechless at the end. It does have the power to grab you, and that is why it was the first DVD i ever purchased.
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