It's getting to be that time of year again in the Northeast, where folks try to get in shape in order to run around in their swimming attire. One way to circumvent bathing suit fit issues? Skinny-dipping! I envy every person out there who has the kind of beach/pool access to indulge in this most delightful of pastimes to their heart's content. Others have to sneak around, which can sometimes add a necessary frisson of forbidden pleasures.
Here Czech animator Alexandra Hetmerova fulfills our wishes for a sweet little bit of escapism, with a delightful surprise at the film's end. Synchronized swimming never looked so lovely or so fun. Check out Swimming Pool (2010) below!
On a bit more serious note, Israeli animator Daniella Koffler's meditation on religious fundamentalism and the freedom that knowledge can bring, Stairs with No End (2011), is both a stunning and unsettling film. The young narrator's beloved Uncle tells her that "Not to ask questions is to live life asleep," and champions her intellectual curiosity, even though her questioning alienates her from her family. The light does shine a path onto the stairs of knowledge, which thankfully have no end. As Koffler thoughtfully explains:
"The film was inspired by Ayaan
Hirsi Ali's book “Infidel” and Richard Dawkins's book “The God Delusion”. I wanted to tell the story of many women I
know, who chose to stand alone, think for themselves and paid a price for
asking unwanted questions."
