A volcanic eruption is the catalyst for new life beginning for a group of strange creatures, but infighting puts them all at risk in the short animation All Is Not Lost.

Don’t you just love it when you come across a piece of artistic celluloid that makes you smile, laugh, and think? They may be rare, but they do exist. We, at Screen Critix, are glad to report that the short animation film All Is Not Lost is one such work. Using animation, along with stop motion, directors Daniel Greaves and Ruth Beni have created a ten-minute short that uses imagination in abundance, along with skill and flair.
A volcanic eruption throws a lot of debris inside a vast cavern. From this debris, new life is formed. Creatures with the bodies of shells, sponges, rocks, and twigs, but with bird-like heads, multi-eyeballed spheres, and some with glowing features. They don’t talk, but we know exactly what they are thinking due to their mannerisms. Then, as lava starts to pour into the cavern, the creatures must climb to safety before finding shelter in another cave. Showing that life can be naturally loving and/or destructive, one of the creatures (the one with a bird-like head) tries to harm a smaller creature, for no apparent reason. This, in turn, leads to fighting, before salvation is found in the form of daylight, which comes from a hole in the cave.

Not only was the story of All Is Not Lost captivating, but the characters, animation, and sound all came together in perfect unison. A big smile came across our faces when, during one scene, the creatures realise that they each make unique sounds. They then used these sounds to create a brilliantly melodic song. During the song, they accidentally create fire, which lights up the cavern walls to reveal a series of wall paintings. The paintings tell the story of the human race, from its humble beginnings to space exploration and finally war. A war that ended the species.
While one can just sit back and enjoy the visuals on screen, we must confront the fact that All Is Not Lost is also a teaching us a lesson regarding the road we, as humans, are currently going down and, if we don’t do something about it, we really could find ourselves on the extinction list. So, while the short animation is brilliantly entertaining, it can also be seen as an important piece of work regarding our future.

All Is Not Lost shows what can be achieved with hard work, determination, and imagination. It’s truly a statement from two fine filmmakers and a must-see.
Leave a Reply