Shorts : Xemoland (2011)
Of all the short film collections I’ve been able to uncover in my time online, I always find my way back to the Vice Short Films collection. Many of these films have been on my personal queue for years now, and even though they are short, finding the time to watch them can be tough. Luckily, DOOMonFILM has afforded me the opportunity and motivation to watch them all, and eventually whittle down the list. One I am happy to say I can check off the list is the entertaining romp through young adulthood that is Xemoland.
Corey (Alex Fumero) is in awe of his big brother Lucas (Daniel Katz) and his seemingly amazing adventures in the mysterious Xemoland. Corey continually prods Lucas and his buddy Patrick (Adrian Mesa) for more information on Xemoland, even going so far as to beg them to take him. The older boys dangle Xemoland over Corey’s head like a carrot, however, driving Corey’s obsession further and further. To make matters worse, the older boys twist the screws further by connecting most everything they can to Xemoland, from fun, to atomic bombs, to even the mischievous teenage things that occur that a pre-teen like Corey may not quite be ready for. After overhearing Lucas and Patrick discussing some of their mischief, Corey devises a plan to once and for all uncover the mysteries of Xemoland, with none of the three boys having a clue how hilariously awry the night will go.
Xemoland is one of the handful of animated shorts in the Vice collection, but it’s definitely a standout. The animation is extremely smooth, the backgrounds give an odd feeling of putting the viewer in-between realities, and the outlines around the characters really add a sense of style to the design. The color palette is full of interesting pastel and earth-tone choices, with the night scenes being drenched in deep blues and purples that really resonate. The animated mouths have a unique style of their own, fitting in well with the facial design on the characters.
In terms of story, this narrative is an exploded version of what a big sibling and little sibling situation can be like. Corey is hopelessly enamored with the aura of his big brother Lucas, jealous of his supposed freedom and forever longing to take part in his adventures. Lucas, by comparison, does what he can to show Corey fun times beyond his age, but keeps his distance as much as possible. Just like any big sibling, however, he can’t help but tease his privilege just a bit, which manifests in the musings on the mysterious Xemoland. This teasing, and it’s grand scale, however, eventually drive Corey to the point of drastic action, which really makes the revelation of what Xemoland is play that much better as an assault on the older kids’ senses.
Alex Fumero plays the little brother perfectly, attempting to make concrete sense out of the nonsense thrown at him, and taking ambitious measures to show he belongs. Daniel Katz plays the cool big brother to a tee, embracing every measure of ‘whatever’ and ‘I don’t care’ he can muster. Adrian Mesa pulls entertaining double do as both the enabler of Lucas’s musings in Patrick, and an objective voice of reason (that goes ignored) to Corey in the form of Max.
There are many more shorts to discover in this collection, and if the quality stays this consistent, then I will have no problem indulging in these sessions. I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to get around to Xemoland, but late is better than never.
