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We could wax eloquent on the exquisite attention to detail Argentine filmmaker Santiago 'Bou' Grasso puts into stop-motion short, Padre, recently released on his production company's opusBou Vimeo account. We could laude the foley work, the way the camera moves around the set with so much subtlety that you forget it's an intricate miniature. We could list the 90 awards Padre has won at 265 International Film Festivals, or delve into the three-year production process, outline the simultaneously grotesque and realistic character development, the soothing portrayal of life's daily rituals, the jarring depiction of routine gone awry.Above all, the formal innovation that makes every second of Padre a pleasure to watch—each of which would make the film worthy of sharing in and of itself—is the fact that Grasso has put together a really good story. Sans dialogue, via the sparse few words written in subtitles or newspapers, or heard over the radio, we learn that the film takes place in 1982, the twilight of a long and bloody series of military dictatorships ruling Argentina. We follow a woman taking care of her father, an officer in the military, who isn't coping well with reality.Grasso's films focus on the dark side emotions and mundane daily life, such as an love through a man's relationship with his bird, or captitalism through a dystopian portrayal of employment. These films delve into a very appealing surreality, but Padre takes place entirely within the realm of possibility to tackle the mature themes of family relationships, coping with change, and struggling with insanity. Watch the film below, and learn more about Grasso's individual processes in the making-of featurette.See more of Santiago 'Bou' Grasso's work on his website.Related:Perfectionists Will Relate To This Incredible Stop-Motion Short FilmBand Ignites 400 Photos for Fiery Stop-Motion Music VideoMaking "Guacamole": A Stop-Motion GuideLand Art Animations Piece Life Itself Together
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