The fairy tale short film Margaret the Brave focuses on a moment in the life of a recently divorced professor of mythology and his family. The hero’s journey does not help this father (Roberto Raad) connect with his daughter, though it is the map he is trying to superimpose on their considerably more pedestrian lives. Caroline (Veronica Mitsuk) insists that her parents’ divorce is not ruining her life, but her depression and disaffected lack of engagement with life seem to tell a different story. He believes that her ennui is more than just teen angst.
He is also troubled and anxious that she is going to live with her mother. In an attempt to bridge the gap between them, he concocts the epic tale of a young woman warrior known as Margaret (Callie Maxson) who lives in a fictional kingdom. When the Queen dies of an illness, good King Regis (Glenn Heath) commits suicide. The crown is then taken by unscrupulous Lord Edmond (Tom Peck), and darkness rules the land. Famine and drought set in. From a remote village, Margaret rides to the capitol to challenge King Edmond to live in luxury while the people suffer. She comes in like Joan of Arc and faces the same fate.
“…her father believes that her ennui is more than just teen angst…”
Caroline’s dad bends the tale of Margaret for Caroline to encourage her and boost her spirits, as well as to bond with her as they are facing a separation. Caroline is a realist and questions the logic of the fairy tale. He wants her to have hope for a future that looks bleak. He wants to protect her from a changing world.
The fantasy segments of the film are made of beautiful composite images of real actors on CGI backgrounds. The sepia-toned dream also features stop-motion animation. The visuals are sumptuous. Classical music drives the emotional beats. In Margaret the Brave, director-writer Danny Chandia paints a moving moment between a father and daughter suffering from the vicissitudes of change and trying to find their way together through heroic tales.
"…a moving moment between a father and daughter suffering from the vicissitudes of change"
