Chick

Platige Image, a studio with headquarters in Warsaw, has been fostering the creation of animated shorts for a number of years. Chick was made by Michal Socha as his graduation project at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and was co-produced by Platige.

The film uses a heavily stylized aesthetic with predominantly geometric shapes, employing just three colors and very creative staging (which at times wonderfully strays away from character-based narration). Sensory images abound, which are emphasized with the use of close-ups and sound. The short provides plenty of visual rhythm through editing, moving cameras and movement within the frame, all synchronized to the klezmer-style music of Polish band Meritum.

The original name of the short, “Laska”, plays with the double meaning of the word in Polish, which means both chick and stick – referring to the white cane used by the man who ends up “blinded” after going to bed with the femme fatale.

According to the author, the film is based on a true story.