“Best Animation”

★★★★

“If you enjoy animation and Sci-Fi then this is a film for you!”

A severely ill detective, confronted with reckless fracking companies protected by a corrupt system, struggles with the question of how far he is willing to go to stop them.

What director and VFX artist ‘Matthias Kapuvari’ has created here is nothing short of outstanding. This is what filmmaking is all about! Taking on multiple roles, Kapuvari showcases a wide range of filmmaking techniques. The story is thought provoking and the visuals are superb. Making this animated film must see!

The CGI in the film was all handled by Matthias Kapuvari which is worth noting again, as it doesn’t feel like it. While there may be other animated films out there with more realistic VFX, ‘Undermined’ has incredibly cinematic visuals with moody lighting and expansive framing. The colour grade is cinematic and grungy which makes each frame a poster in itself. It feels almost like the opening scenes of a video game. Making the perfect ingredients for a memorable short!

The story is simple yet effective and not something explored much within short films, especially animation. The subtle use of dialogue is clever as the visuals tell the story on their own already and too much dialogue would get in the way. We get behind the main character and his motives pretty quickly, whilst feeling his sense of turmoil. Feeling for a human character is not something that’s easily done within an animated short on this budget.

The score from Tom Hoesstee builds throughout the film, starting with a sense of hopelessness and ending with a climatic end. This is perfectly mixed with the immersive sound design. The sound within this film is impeccable and shows a great level of experience.

‘Undermined’ is a perfect example of making a film to explore filmmaking techniques and developing them further. Kapuvari and his team have made something very special here and if you enjoy animation and Sci-Fi then this is a film for you!

— APEX Film Awards