Overweight

Overweight is a short film by Israeli artist Yonatan Tal about a man traveling with a suitcase that is too heavy. It presents two main characters, an internal conflict transposed into an external one and a focus on humor, with some zany elements.

Born from personal experience, the film stages an event that will appeal to a large percentage of the audience: traveling with an overweight suitcase. The story however, deals with a broader subject: moving from one place to another, and the things that one leaves behind. It speaks about feelings, culture, ties and, ultimately, about identity.

The story takes place in a modern/urban environment and puts a special emphasis on an object, which is used to trigger the conflict. Visual rhythm is handled differently in the two scenes. The first one uses a static camera, the second one a “handheld” one, combined with editing and montage within the frame.

What makes the short work so well? The highly creative humor that springs abundant surprises, the authenticity of the feelings and events portrayed, the zany design of the characters, the way it connects with the audience and the thoughtful, bittersweet ending.

Overweight was produced at CalArts in just one week.