ANATOLIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Hesus Joy Christ / Matthew's Five's Nine by R. David Foster
Review

 

                R. David Foster refers to the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in his short, animated film. References are made to the part known theologically as 'The Sermon on the Mountain,' where the Prophet Jesus preaches his religious and moral teachings to people. We cannot say that Foster directly brought the biblical narrative into animation. We can instead say that he is filming the lesson that Foster learned from one of the sources of true happiness explained by Jesus. By doing so, R. David Foster makes the biblical story less didactic and rather depicts the realities of daily life. As everyone knows, religious texts were designed to address communities that lived thousands of years ago. Thus, it is impossible for people in today's world to perceive films shot to convey them directly without feeling alienated. Furthermore, when you want to do this with an animation technique, it is evident that the job will be twice more difficult. Foster overcomes this problem in two ways. He simplifies the events and slightly turns them into parodies by bringing the narration closer to today's language. These are not parodies whose purpose is to mock. Without spoiling the essence of The Sermon on the Mount, a humorous approach is preferred. He makes use of the facilitating, converging, and engaging effect of humor. Instead of a dry, unattractive film, he creates a simpler and more worldly film that will help today's audience make sense of the messages in their minds and realize them.

                We already see that there is a word game in the name chosen for the film. The word Hesus, among other meanings, can also be read as an abbreviation of the sentence "He is us." When we think from this aspect, the fact that R. David Foster worldly portrays the figure of Prophet Jesus and shows him as one of us in terms of perceiving and evaluating problems and life, and seeking happiness, and that he sends this anime Hesus to the stage of two thousand years ago and makes him address the audience is a highly creative attempt.

             Considering the criteria such as animation characters and the flow of movements of animations, it is a satisfactory film for the audience. The use of the flipbook technique in its creation even increases the humor that is tried to be added to the film. In respect of music, a rhythmic drum sound was preferred, probably to evoke ancient times. Although it does not refer to anything regarding the historical aspect of Prophet Jesus, it can be thought to have added logic and even a contribution to the film concerning the fast-paced narration of a short, animated film. It is impossible not to appreciate the creativity and vision of R. David Foster, who created every part of the film on his own.

                                                                                                                              AIFF