Diane Obomsawin Wins
I was introduced to Obom’s work for the first time during the 2006 edition of the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Her NFB-produced short film, Here and There, was in competition. I (literally) saw everything the festival had to offer, it was awesome, and Obom’s film was the awesome-est. That is, not only according to me (which should already be enough), but also according to the jury of the festival who gave it the Best Narrative Short Animation (under 35 minutes) prize.
The film’s a honest yet stylized re-telling of “the bewildering events of her rootless early years” where “she fleshes out an uncertain identity and takes control of her life.” On top of having a style (black naive outlines and flat color fillings) and a story (a child torn between continents) that definitely resonate with me from the get-go, the film showcases Obom’s brilliant control over subtle details of expression, gesture and language. As cheese-tastic as it sounds, I’d never seen such a deliciously seamless blend of humour, bitterness, resignation and hope. I still remember how inspiring it was that the characters were both involved yet a bit detached from everything. Plus, they were all bird-like but instead of using their wings to fly, they were bouncing all over the place with a very satisfying ‘boing’ sound, which is obviously really great. You should get the DVD.
Diane’s genius graphic novel, Kaspar, has just been released in English by Drawn & Quarterly (both Kaspar and her other graphic novel, Plus Tard, have been previously published in French by L’Oie de Cravan). It is a moving (but not melodramatic) adaptation of the real life story of Kaspar Hauser, a teenager found in the streets of Nuremberg in 1828 after having spent the first 16 years of his life confined in a dark room. This beautifully printed book demonstrates how Obom’s talent translates just as well in graphic novel format: the story is somewhat harsher, but her touch of ambiguous and bitter sweetness still transpires.
The book will be launched at the Drawn & Quarterly Bookstore (211 Bernard West) on Tuesday, February 3rd at 7pm. Original pages of the book will be exhibited there as well. I’ll leave you with 4 shots of Diane’s pug, Mimi, who will hopefully show up at the book launch as well.
