Rob Munday

In a land of fast-growing trees and mysterious mountains, two characters joined by their hair struggle to chase their desires because of the physical connection between them in Robert Löbel’s Link. Returning to the site for the first time in just under five years, Löbel’s eight minute short tackles themes of relationships and connections with the same stylish design and comic touches that made us fall head-over-heels for his 2013 grad film Wind.

We lavished praise on Löbel for his ‘ingenuity and originality’ last time we featured him and it feels like it’s the animator’s capacity for world-building and scenario-forming that’s at the forefront of Link’s success once again. An inventive premise, supported by some stellar craft, Link hooks you in with its eccentric concept but keeps you watching by taking it in some truly unexpected directions.

Speaking to S/W alum Ben Mitchell over at Skwigly, Löbel explains that Link’s narrative was inspired by the silence at family dinners and the stretched connections between school friends. The idea to join the characters through their hair was motivated by an urge to “make theses connections stronger and more natural”, with the director admitting that joining them at the head was “perfect to bring them closer and it also looks more uncomfortable”.

Link has spent the last year or so touring film festivals worldwide and alongside this short, Löbel currently has another short on the festival circuit – Island, a film he created with Max Mörtl.