The Martian

FUTURE
A week after the atomic Mondo Mulloy, the animated cinema presents us again its trashy
designs. It is from Argentina that comes this time the subversive delivery, after having
successfully passed through Gerardmer and especially Annecy (special mention of
encouragement of the jury). Low-budget film, as often when you touch engaged cartoon, the
Martian is a miraculous in the devastated economic area of ​Argentina, but it does not detract
from the cultural and precisely cinematographic renewal of the country. Crisis requires, The
Martian is a film of depression, apocalypse, agitated the ironic energy of despair. Exploiting
the old storyline of the confrontation of Martian and Terran manners (trick precisely used by
Mulloy, with the Zogs of his diptych Intolerance), in a narrative and graphic spirit close to the
universe of the comic Lewis Trondheim, Juan Antin and his little A group of veteran and
masochistic animators (to mount a cartoon in Argentina in recent times is part of
volunteering) deliver an acid and violent snapshot of their liberal and corrupt society. A rare
freedom of mind, obviously reminiscent of a South Park, and a financial independence
allowing a welcome end-boutism, which allow them to avoid the syndrome of moral defusing
end of the race at the Lilo & Stitch.

THE NERD IN WAR

Chaotic development and ric-rac financing have also left less positive signs on the finished
product. Thus, despite a very well-crafted scenario, some good visual ideas, a relevant
character design and striking dialogues, The Martian is at times limited by the small size of
its resources. Unlike a Phil Mulloy or a Bill Plympton, whose artistic approach is closely
linked to the need to lower costs (Mulloy and Plympton work mostly alone, the economy),
Juan Antin and his director of animation Ayar Blesco from time to time have eyes bigger than
the belly (angles and movements of bold cameras, sequences in computer graphics ...). The
result is therefore sometimes mixed, because disparate and burdened with slight decreases
in rhythm, particularly due to work not enough pushed on the soundtrack. Still, on the whole,
satire often reaches its target, because it has the intelligence not to be univocal. Thus, the
hard core of earthly characters - a small group of nerds at the idle rebellion, which is easily
identified with other nerds at the origin of our escaped Martian Flash animation - continues to
be confronted with its own contradictions (attraction / repulsion towards market technology
and its synthetic pleasures) and its own belonging to the system. Antin spared no one, to
logically lead to the apotheosis of a finale in the form of a parody of a musical comedy,
whose catastrophic outcome will shake the most tense zygomatic durably. Also, despite
these small slag, we are not waiting for The Martian to put that back on the occasion.