Regret is a powerful force that can overshadow all other aspects of one’s life. The events of one’s past shapes their life, and coming to terms with life’s hardest moments can be a long and painful challenge. Oftentimes the most difficult person to forgive is oneself; we are after all, our own worst critics.
Andrew Coats’ and Lou Hamou-Lhadj’s 2015 animated short film, Borrowed Time, is a deeply personal examination of these ideas of grief, guilt, and regret. It tells the story of an aged sheriff attempting to come to terms with the most difficult event in his life.
An aged sheriff stands near a darkened cliff, his gaze fixed forward; the audience knows that this is a place filled with painful memories for him. With a deep breath he begins to step towards the cliff, and the camera cuts to a moment from the past. As the sheriff steps towards his reckoning, the audience learns that, in this spot years ago, the sheriff accidentally killed his father in a tragic accident. Overwhelmed with grief the sheriff gazes over the side of the cliff.
Borrowed Time emphasizes these ideas of grief and regret through its cinematography. As the film.switches between its two time periods it also switches between two colour palettes. The past is bright, sunny, and vibrant; contrasted with the present with is darker, greyer, and more muted. This colour shift reflects the sheriff’s own shift in demeanor; the bright idealism of youth juxtaposed with the depressed tone of his life after the tragedy occurred at the cliff.
Furthermore; these ideas are emphasized in the framing throughout the short film. Many of the present-day segments has the camera pulled in very close on the sheriff’s face. This intimate angle helps to convey every minute expression; we feel his grief, his pain, and his regret simply by looking at his face. Similarly; the shots in the past are also viewed within a tight perspective. We view things from the perspective of a boy who looks up to and admires his father, and this idea is also brilliantly portrayed through the facial expressions of the central character.
Despite tackling incredibly heavy themes, Borrowed Time does take a hopeful view regarding these ideas. As the sheriff steps ever closer to the cliff, we see the memories come flooding back. As he stands at the cliff looking down, the audience feels his grief and his pain. However, as the light appears and the reflection of his father’s watch catches his eye, a different sort of memory is presented; that of the love shared between a boy and his father. Despite the painful events that occurred in that place that undoubtedly shaped his life the sheriff is reminded of something more powerful than regret, love.
Borrowed Time tells the audience that our fondest memories are more powerful than our darkest ones. While our most painful moments undoubtedly colour and shape our lives so too do the memories we share with loved ones. As the sheriff gazes out to the horizon, we know that not everything has been made right, we know that surely, he still feels the pain of the accident years ago. However, as the camera pans out and the audience too gazes upon the horizon, a light of hope shines out among the grim darkness.
Joel Vs Film 