The Last Day Of A Condemned

The Last Day Of A Condemned is a short film comedy that puts an unusual pet in various creative situations. It was created by students from French school Gobelins.

The short makes good use of close-ups and cuts to wider shots for introducing surprise, use of directions for smoother editing, and a wonderful painterly aesthetic with attention to color and use of broad strokes for describing parts of the environments. An element of play is present throughout the short.

There’s also good work dedicated to the performance of the character and to portraying her adolescent behavior (with quality animation). The authenticity of this portrait is probably due to it being inspired by a real-life example, the credits at the end of the film state that it is freely inspired by the “formidable life of Camille Bayssatt”, likely a relative of one of the authors of the short.

The expressiveness of the main character contrasts with the lack of expression of the lobster, emphasizing the one-sided relationship and helping create comedic elements. The Last Day Of A Condemned also makes good use of sensory images and the final, more reflexive shot of the pet that goes back to edible status helps bring another interpretation to the lighthearted comedy.