The Man Who Waited 2006
Distributed by National Film Board of Canada, 1123 Broadway, Suite 307, New York, NY 10010; 800-542-2164
Produced by Valkyrie Films and National Film Board of Canada
Directed by Theodore Ushev
DVD, color, 7 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Animation, Literature, Philosophy
Date Entered: 10/27/2006
Reviewed by Margaret M. Reed, Riley-Hickingbotham Library, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, ARUp-and-coming animator Theodore Ushev captures the hopelessness of existential thought in his latest creation, The Man Who Waited.
An adaptation of a parable by Franz Kafka, the story centers on a man who spends his life in a futile quest for truth and fulfillment. He trudges forward through a maze of dark, shadowy passageways that lead to a gatekeeper guarding the door of truth. An imposing figure seated at a towering desk, the gatekeeper refuses to let the man pass through.
Ushev’s artistry is most apparent in the film’s line-drawn graphics. Its stark black and white images convey the story’s edginess. The combative musical scores by contemporary composer Avro Part and the somber tone of narrator Tony Robinson (“Baldrick” in the British comedy The Blackadder) also fit well with this timeless tale of despair.
The Man Who Waited won the Canadian Film Institute Award for Best Canadian Animation at the 2006 International Animation Film Festival.
Recommended for academic and public libraries.