Grief rarely shows up at the “right” time, and that’s the gut-punch Animatio Fides Journey Studios leans into with Saying Goodbye, I Wish It Was Easy.
Our tale follows two paths. The first is a young woman who escapes a horrible family situation, grows up, and runs a flower shop with her young son. Her life has been one struggle after another, including an unfortunate tax audit, but she is devoted to her son. As the years pass, her son becomes a teen, makes friends, and then tragically dies in a collision with a truck driving on the wrong side of the road.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a boy and his father have adopted a puppy as a Christmas gift. “Best Dog Ever,” says the photo frame of this family. The years pass, and the dog truly becomes a member of the family as they spend the Fourth of July watching fireworks on the porch and watching the cherry blossoms grow in the yard; as the boy becomes a man, age finally catches up with their canine companion, who passes away.
A man holds an injured young woman close in the pouring rain as a truck burns behind them in Saying Goodbye, I Wish It Was Easy.
“Certainly, the heart of the filmmakers at Animatio Fides Journey Studios is all over the piece.”
Saying Goodbye, I Wish It Was Easy walks us through the loss and pain of losing someone dear. Time passes, but we never forget the ones we hold dear. As we see in the short film, we are never alone, and fate and faith work in mysterious ways. As the title implies, saying goodbye isn’t easy, but the sun always shines after the storm.
I’ll mention it now. Saying Goodbye, I Wish It Was Easy was made using AI, and we’ve certainly seen our fair share of AI shorts. The best I can say is that the quality is improving, but it’s not quite there yet. Here, Animatio Fides Journey Studios opens with quick snippets of three characters rendered as turn-of-the-century hand-drawn animation, then evolves to cel-painted images, and finally to 3D renders.
When we get into the main story, the same problems arise that many AI animators face. First is consistency in characters. Animatio Fides Journey Studios does fine work maintaining the integrity of character look and design; you can feel the struggle to hold onto it. The biggest problem is the editing. There are noticeable pauses, time jumps, and occasional unnatural AI movement. In the end, we will always fight about the proper use (or any use) of AI, but for independent animators, we’re just not there yet.
On the upside, Saying Goodbye, I Wish It Was Easy is a thoughtful piece about loss, grief, and moving on. It has a song that plays over our tale, and I still can’t get it out of my mind. Certainly, the heart of the filmmakers at Animatio Fides Journey Studios is all over the piece. Not there yet, but a good example of where AI is headed in indie animation.
For screening information, visit the Saying Goodbye, I Wish It Was Easy official website.
"…Grief rarely shows up at the "right" time…"
