SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2021 REVIEW! Every culture has its way of describing how man and nature interact with warnings when nature is out of balance. Alisi Telengut’s animated short, The Fourfold, tells this balance from a Mongolian perspective.
Telengut spotlights her ancestor’s animistic beliefs. The Fourfold is narrated by her grandmother and opens with a description of shamanic stone altars called Ovoo. The Mongolic people use the altars to worship Mother Earth, waters, and Tangri—the eternal sky. She describes the connection between humans and nature and the importance of respecting nature.
“…use the altars to worship Mother Earth, waters, and Tangri—the eternal sky.”
The Fourfold is not your traditional ink-and-paint style of animation. Think of it as a piece of art made with oil pastels. A simple landscape is drawn on a large sheet of paper with pastels. For the next frame, the image is erased and redrawn, giving the illusion of life and movement. It’s similar to the Line Boiling technique. Honestly, “how did they do that” was running through my head throughout much of the film.
The Fourfold is a beautiful journey into a little known culture and an insightful take on our role in this world and respect for nature.
The Fourfold screened at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
"…the image is erased and redrawn, giving the illusion of life and movement."
