Writer-director Bryn Martin’s The Hand of Amelia Carne plays like a campfire fable drawn into motion — small, intimate, and built around a single, haunting “what if?”
A lone Traveller (Ryan Morgan) pushes his way through blizzards along a mountain pass, heading to the secluded house where a Sorcerer (Bryn Martin) lives in isolation. He arrives half-frozen and on edge, but the Sorcerer knows exactly why he is there. Over tea, the Traveller admits he’s come for a service the Sorcerer is known for: writing letters in another person’s hand. He asks for a letter from his recently deceased love, Amelia Carne. As with all supernatural requests, the Sorcerer easily agrees, but there are always unexpected consequences attached. When the Sorcerer hands the Traveller the letter, he accuses him of fraud.
“…he’s come for a service the Sorcerer is known for: writing letters in another person’s hand.”
The Hand of Amelia Carne is a sweet yet simple animated tale. Here, the story wins out over style as Martin wrestles with the idea of cherishing what we have and the memories of those we have lost. Grief can have a profound effect on those of us who survive, but often what we lose is best untouched. As an animated short, this is pretty basic, as if created by storytellers without art degrees. It’s more like a comic strip brought to life. The images lack a great deal of detail, but are a whole lot better than I could have done myself. Again, we’re here for the story.
The reality these days is that if you’re passionate about telling stories and making movies like Bryn Martin, you’ve got to do it yourself, however you can. If Martin keeps building on the foundation built by The Hand of Amelia Carne, each new short will feel like another step up the mountain—closer to something bigger, sharper, and fully his own.
The Hand of Amelia Carne can be streamed on YouTube.
"…story wins out over style..."
