The House of Small Cubes (S)

"It’s barely 12 minutes long, but I’ve never seen a better, richer evocation of memory’s fathomless depths." 

"A haunting, painterly meditation on climate change and the passage of time." 

"Every frame of this exquisite Japanese film could be sold as a watercolor painting. The concept is engrossing, if melancholy: An old man lives alone in a flooded village, and he must constantly add new floors onto his house to survive above the rising tide. As he scuba dives through his submerged home, he recounts happy memories of his family from years gone by." 

"The best animated offering is a Japanese film with a French title, "La Maison en Petits Cubes" (12 minutes), a dreamlike, resonant tale of an old man who has to keep building additions atop his house to remain above the rising tide." 

"A slow paced but increasingly poignant portrait of a man flashing back on his life after his village in France is flooded. It's the odd one out in terms of pacing and visuals, with its delicate hand drawn style, but the short's sweet sentimental surprises leave a lasting impression." 

" The only Oscar-nominated short that failed to capture my imagination."