Featuring no dialogue and a jazz vibe straight out of the 1950s, Waves in the Sky invites us to take a twirl with a bird who may be grounded but is still happy to go out on a wing. At the start, since he can’t keep up with the other swallows, he decides to follow his own beat – to the point of losing his mind. Stunned amid evocatively- shaped clouds, he loses his bearings and plummets to earth. He lands unconscious on an idyllic beach where some signs of human existence can be detected – magazines, sandcastles, buckets and spaces – and there he is rescued by a turtle. The turtle has plenty of tricks up his shell and decides to take the bird under his wing. With help from a crab who can operate the turntable, the turtle leads the feathered creature in a liberating dance that gives him back his groove. To the amazement of the watching shellfish and amid languid swaying of starfish, a friendship is born.
This graduation film by the Mexican director Gildardo Santoyo Del Castillo combines techniques to great effect, thanks to the juvenile roundness of playdough, the craft quality of stop motion and the fluidity of 3D. The texture and sky colours are fascinating throughout. In this film we travel through cotton-wool clouds and dance with characters on the branch of a coconut tree. There’s nothing like a taste of liberty to help you find the right path and take off again!
