Rob Munday

Inspired by her travels, Mélody Boulissière’s Ailleurs (Somewhere) is a relatable tale of overconsumption and digital fatigue, portrayed on screen through a vivid, painterly aesthetic. The story of a young man looking for some new experiences through travelling, Somewhere lets it audience experience the familiar hustle-bustle of well-trodden paths, before embarking for some much greener pastures.

Though Somewhere centres around a relatable and charming storyline, it’s the style here that truly wins you over. Mixing paint on glass animation with cut-out photographs Boulissière is able to create landscapes that feel both familiar and fantastical, as the authentic feel of the photographs create a really pleasing contrast with the much more organic feel of the paint.

For a film focused on escapism, the worry with selecting this type of short for a platform like Short of the Week, is that the nature of online viewing might not be a suitable environment for this particular message. However, Somewhere is surprisingly effective.

For three minutes, as viewers, our senses are assaulted as our protagonist delves into a world of online shopping and tourist-trap sight-seeing. When he suddenly decides to abandon his well-mapped route, we soon experience something completely different and that switch is oh-so satisfying.

As the film comes to a much more serene conclusion, you feel in a totally different mood, almost relaxed. You’d even be forgiven for closing your eyes after that final shot and imaging the sun warming your face, the grass under your feet and the wind in your hair.

Since completing Somewhere Mélody is now focusing on developing her directorial skills and has worked on a short film for children based on French poet Claude Roy, whilst also developing an animated documentary and a preschool TV series.