A heartwarming short film
“If Anything Happens, I Love You” achieves what many two-hour-long films strive to do, in just 12 minutes and without a single word being spoken. Released Nov. 20, the short film drives home the prominent social issue of gun violence and evokes emotion in its viewers. Beautifully written and directed by Will McCormack and Michael Govier, and produced by Gilbert Films and Oh Good Productions, “If Anything Happens I Love You” shows the process of grief that two parents go through after the loss of their young daughter to a school shooting. With a run-time of less than 15 minutes, the animation embodies a heart wrenching process that could take a lifetime.
The film shows a timeline of the family’s experiences in a reversed format, beginning the film with a depiction of pain and hardship before revealing its source within the very last minutes of the drama. The way in which the animation progresses in a non-chronological manner effectively forces the audience to be immediately pulled into the mother and father’s depression, sharing their distress as they watch the aftermath unfold.
What makes this film particularly unique to other short films is how it serves as a perfect example to the saying, “less is more.” Animated short films typically check off every tactic possible in trying to win over the approval of their audience within such a short time frame. This is what inspires the bright, striking range of colors that are often used, as well as the “cuteness factor” of many short films’ subjects and protagonists.
“If Anything Happens I Love You” falls on the other end of the spectrum, working to emphasize its message on gun violence through the simplicity of its drawings and colors. Each part of the animation is illustrated in an almost scribbled, roughly sketched way. Also, the colors used are minimal, heavily relying on hues of gray, black and earthy tones.
Comments