SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2022 REVIEW! Paolo Chianta’s hypnotic short Tap Runner is a quivering ballet of animation. In the near future, replete with flying cars, a man inspects taps for leakage and waste. He doesn’t fix the faucets. That is what plumbers are for. Even if he wanted to, he can’t. His job is to inspect them, and the plumbers fix them. Some say the plumbers should both inspect and repair the taps, while a few inspectors have tried to fix the taps with disastrous results.
“…a few inspectors have tried to fix the taps with disastrous results.”
This 2 minute, 45 second hand-drawn short is amazing. The animation is a deceptively simple but painstakingly detailed style best described as “high in study hall.” The ballpoint is delicious. The only thing missing is the lined notebook paper. I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve seen ballpoint drawings; they were omnipresent back in the day. The cross-hatching shimmers and shakes when animated, putting stationary objects in motion. The buildings and darkness of the night sky constantly dance within your eyes.
Now add the ominous, stripped-down synth score, which the writer-director-star composed. Like a simple Nova Scotia blueberry grunt, the basic ingredients work together to create something surprisingly elevated. The drone of the excellent music enhances the effects of the hand-drawn urban drudgery, with the shimmer of the ink reinforcing the dark future setting. I could look at Chianta’s flying saucers over the city for hours. So please take a few minutes to indulge in Tap Runner; you will enjoy the results of your inspection.
Tap Runner screened at 2022 Slamdance Film Festival.
"…the basic ingredients work together to create something surprisingly elevated."
