Harvie Krumpet (2003) User Reviews

Manage to stay funny, yet serious

[Stibbert · 9/10 · 11 December 2005]

Harvie Krumpet is a strange little man and life has never been on his side. This film tells his story and takes you on the journey.

The story is very well written and it mix drama and comedy very good. It is very funny, but still serious. The story is unique and original for a short film and it turns out quite good on the screen. The characters are charming and good. You really have sympathy for them and you get to know them. Especially Harvie. The animation is very good. It's stop motion clay animation in the best Nick Park style. It's very impressive. The narration by Geoffrey Rush is very good. I was skeptical when I saw that this film lasted for 20 minutes, but 20 minutes later I wondered where the time went. The film thrilled me and got me hooked and I was never bored. It turned and twisted and kept the audience interested.

All together a very good and very charming little short film about the outsiders in society. A movie well worth to watch.

"Life is like a cigarette; smoke it to the butt."

[ackstasis · 8/10 · 12 May 2007]

Harvie Krumpet (born Harvek Milos Krumpetzki in 1922) has perhaps the worst luck in the world. Afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome from birth, he has always found it difficult to fit in. When his mother and father freeze to death outside their burnt-down home, and World War II comes to his native Poland, Harvie emigrates to Spotswood, Australia to start a new life. Here, his luck scarcely improves. It isn't long before Harvie is struck by lightning, he tragically loses a testicle and the metal plate in his head becomes magnetised. However, it would be unfair to suggest that Harvie never experiences the good parts of life – he spends many years of happiness with his understanding wife, and their adopted Thalidomide daughter grows to become a successful and intelligent lawyer.

In 2004, Adam Elliot's 'Harvie Krumpet' caused a sensation in Australia when it was awarded the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, beating out the likes of Pixar (in Bud Luckey's 'Boundin''). Elliot's poignant depiction of a man finding a reason to live amidst a life fraught with bad luck had a profound effect on audiences. Created entirely using claymation – a wonderful art that is growing scarcer with the advent of CGI animation – the film is great to look at, and narrated by the warm voice of Geoffrey Rush, a terrific Australian actor who is nowadays best recognised as Captain Barbossa from Gore Verbinski's 'Pirates of the Caribbean (2003).'

Despite Rush's narration adding wonderfully to the tone of the film, I felt that perhaps it was used too often. Harvie's every action is carefully and methodically narrated to us, even in those moments when I felt that the animation could easily have spoken for itself. Nevertheless, 'Harvie Krumpet' is a touching story of one humble immigrant's life, and is guaranteed to help you find hope and happiness in the moments when you thought there was none.

jusco's review: Harvie Krumpet

[jusco15 · 8/10 · 24 December 2010]

Three words to describe Adam Elliot's (master of clay animation) 22 min and 7 sec film Harvie Krumpet: sardonic and poignant. This Academy Award winning short film follows the title character, a naïve but optimistic Polish who ends up in Australia, and his unlucky life. That is an understatement; he gets struck by lightning, has his testicle removed, is plagued by Tourette's Syndrome, just to name a few. But one single phrase (Carpe diem) causes him to embrace life despite his unfortunate circumstances (hooray for nudist colonies and chickens!). Crafted in both a humorous and distressing manner – you will laugh one moment then sink back into depression out of sympathy for Harvie – and superbly narrated by Geoffrey Rush, this film will make you smile and want to lead a better life. After all, if Harvie Krumpet can do it, you can too.

He stays with you.

[Ben_Cheshire · 8 March 2004]

This little Australian claymation production was an unlikely winner for best animated short at the Oscar ceremony for 2003, beating a pixar production and other anime-bigwigs. Which is ironic, because Adam Elliot's twenty minute short is about an underdog. Elliot has appealed to a popular Australian myth, that of the Aussie battler, and the underdog (who we Australians inevitably root for), as a way to make an Australian audience sympathise with a migrant from poland, and recognise a similarity between themselves an him. What makes this short clever is that it uses the form of a children's story, a fairy tale, to communicate a moving story of hardships and not seem to bash the audience over the head with them. It has the appeal of the wonderful Aussie film The Castle, where great profundity can be found through a story told very simply, about simple people, whose outlook on life is so admirable. The story Harvie Crumpet tells, and the character of Harvey, are, of course, very different. Harvie suffers so much, and so many terrible things happen to him, that you have to wonder what is the redeeming thing about this story that makes it worth watching (leaving to the side its marvellous presentation in the guise of a children's fairy tale, or claymation television program perhaps, which creates, as mentioned, a juxtaposition with its content which is effective in lending it a genuine feel, making the audience want to be touched by Harvie). And, of course, the thing that makes Harvie remarkable is that he survives. He doubts himself, like all of us, and at times wants to give up the game, but at the end of the day, he seizes what precious moments he has.

Geoffery Rush as narrator rivals Anthony Hopkins for his fairy tale narration in The Grinch. Reveals what a wonderful, Australian storytelling voice he has. He should do more work in this vein, not to undermine his appearances onscreen, which are also marvellous (particularly Shakespeare in Love and Shine, but like Cate Blanchett, and unlike every other actor in the Hollywood past and present, he is just fantastic in every role).

In just twenty three minutes we are told, with the help of Rush, the life story of Harvie Krumpet - and at the end, even though he's only made of clay, we really feel like we know him. And he's a little fella that stays with you.

Incredible

[ChavRose06 · 10/10 · 10 September 2004]

I rented the DVD out last week to watch the film that made Australia proud by winning that shiny gold Oscar.

This movie was short, it was only twenty minutes, but in that twenty minutes you become part of the little soul that is Harvie Krumpet, the animation was done by stop motion/claymation (which is tedious, trust me I study animation). The story is funny and sad at the same time and I promise you, once you watch it they'll be only 'one song' you'll be singing!

And you feel engaged in the film thanks to the great narration done by Geoffrey Rush, he has one of those powerful voices.

I rate this movie 10/10 and recommend it to everyone and anyone studying animation.

Thank you.

Surprisingly humorous tragedy

[Jozxyqk · 10/10 · 9 March 2004]

When I saw this short animation on the Monday night in question, I was surprised to see how such a sad story about a 'retarded migrant' could be so humorous. His story from a lumberjack's son to an animal- liberationist to an alzheimers patient is a well written and an entertaining one. I won't give away too much, but you will be pleased at just how entertaining this film is.

It definitely deserved the Oscar. I was quite surprised that it won, but then I saw the film and understood why.

If you every get a chance to watch it, take advantage of it.

I especially enjoyed the minor story about Harvie's doctor. Very clever.

Simply Wonderful

[Oblivious93 · 10/10 · 18 May 2009]

I first saw Harvie Krumpet in my high school science class. That class is amazing at being loud and obnoxious. People are regularly yelling across the room, throwing stuff, blaring music at full blast, and generally making the teacher's job very difficult. In fact, earlier in the class, two students had got into a verbal fight, yelling obscenities at each other for what seemed like ages. So when the teacher told us he was going to show a little animated film that I had heard of, one called Harvie Krumpet, I was a bit weary.

Harvie Krumpet it a claymation short running in at about 20 minutes, that details the life of an extremely unlucky man. The animation is crude yet not without its charm, the music is sparse but quite appropriate, and the story is flat out bizarre. In short, it was something I assumed my class would talk through. But I was wrong.

In the beginning, everybody was a bit weirded out by the style, and didn't really grasp it. They quickly adapted however and were soon laughing out loud at almost every joke the movie flung. People went 'awww' at the cute moments, said 'poor Harvie' at the bad, and as said before, laughed at the funny. But the moment I knew there was something special in this short was near the end. The was a moment of uncertainty where there was complete silence. Not a soul was speaking, or even breathing. For the first time ever in that class, everybody was quiet. You could literally feel different emotions coming from everyone. And when it was all over, as everybody was walking out of class, I didn't hear one person who didn't have something positive to say about Harvie Krumpet.

And I think that's what makes Harvie Krumpet so great; it can invoke feelings in everyone, from all walks of life. Despite being so different from the norm, everybody could appreciate the simple life that Harvie lead. Never before have I seen a movie with such an ability as that. And I'm unsure if I ever will again.

As one of "the others", I found this short quite funny and moving.

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 14 December 2004]

To be quite frank, I expected Destino to win the Oscar and was surprised and a bit disappointed on hearing that another short had won instead. Until I finally saw Harvie Krumpet the other day. Here there be mild Spoilers.

Harvie Krumpet is both funny and frightening, sometimes at the same time. A modern-day version of Job (Job would probably look at Harvie's life and shudder), Harvie goes through a life that is tedious and tragic, all the while collecting "fakts" that are interspersed as graphics throughout the short.

There are sight gags aplenty here. You'll never look at a pair of false teeth in quite the same way after you watch this. Given that this is set from the 1920s through the 1980s, some of the references are topical and somewhat dated and I'm sure there are in-jokes and references that anyone more familiar with Australia would get that I missed, but I found this extremely engaging and well worth my time. Though there are a couple of nominees I haven't seen yet, I think that this one probably won the Oscar walking away, deserved to and certainly is no disgrace to the Academy in having done so. Happily it is currently in print. Most highly recommended.

Harvie Krumpet

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 7 April 2024]

Id you know that the average person uses 19 miles of dental floss during their lifetime? Well that's one of the "fakts" that "Harvie" knows - but I jump the gun... We start in Poland in 1922 when he is born, upside down and back to front, to a loving but poverty stricken couple. They doted on him, even when he was diagnosed with Tourette's. A disaster befalls him, though, when he returns to find his family home reduced to ashes and his parents frozen solid to their bike. The arrive of the Nazis sends him to Australia where his calamity prone life continues. He ends up with a (magnetic) steel plate in his head, gets struck by lightning, gets testicular cancer and smokes 28 cigarettes a day - yikes, I'd just have jumped. Then he meets a nurse ("Val") and happiness might be on the horizon. They marry, adopt a daughter who grows up and moves to America. More misfortune strikes and "Harvie" ends up in an old folks home waiting for God to call time... Is there time for a last hurrah? The animation is very much in the style of Aardman and is engaging to watch - even if poor old "Harvie" is a bit of a mishap magnet. It's really the dead pan narration from Geoffrey Rush that gives this a bit of extra oomph, though. His descriptions of the scenarios are simple and straightforward - virtually no inflection or emphasis, just a flat and effective accompaniment to the life and times of "Harvik Milos Krumpetzki".

A genius made this

[alexeykorovin · 10/10 · 1 April 2018]

I so rarely give a 10 on imdb but this cartoon (clayography) is a work of a genius. I'll recommend all people I know to watch it.

The topic is ordinary people and their lives. Adam Elliot handles it at least as masterfully as Dostoevski, just in a different medium (animation instead of literature). Reminded me of "Poor Folk".

Is there something like Nobel Prize for movies? Adam Elliot deserves it.

Short Stuff

[jpschapira · 7/10 · 6 July 2005]

I spent a long time thinking what could I write about this cinematographic event I had watched; a short. I thought to myself: I'll make it short. Whether I make it shot or not, it will take for you less time to read it than the time the actual short takes: 23 minutes.

This short is "Harvie Krumpet", the story of a retarded boy, who travels through the world in life, and has many problems, but also a family who he raises like his parents raised him. "Life is like a cigarette…Smoke it up", is one of the "fakts" Harvie discovers at some point of his life. Yes, I know it is not well written but Harvie's mother was some kind of aborigine.

Adam Elliot, "the man" and the owner of a creative mind must have come up with a complete one person life at some point of his career, after creating stories of different members of families in even shorter duration time. His trilogy "Uncle", "Cousin" and "Brother" is the lives of these three different family members.

As I know "Harvie Krumpet" is the only thing I've seen and believe I'll see from this writer and director; and is important to say he respects his way of making films and that he kept it in his road to the Oscar. He doesn't seem to like character talking that much, so as he did with one person in the first trilogy with each family member, he gets a nice and warm voice to tell the story of his character, Harvie Krumpet here.

Although in this short some characters were allowed to speak some words, the voice chosen was the respected and known Australian actor Geoffrey Rush, who gives a special touch to the film that is written, directed and with cinematography by Elliot, who can now take in editors and mixers, because before he had to do it by himself.

It is a good short and the Oscar for best animated short, it won. I hope I was short enough.

Laughter comes at a price ...

[Jeff-1330 · 10/10 · 18 February 2006]

Fakt: This is a work that matches its ambitions. It successfully takes on the task of using the most whimsical of mediums to ask the most difficult question: "Does life really matter?" Of course, that question is the knockout punch. You won't see it coming until you're punch-drunk from its sarcastic jabs about the absurdity of existence. Its humor definitely stays close the the pain that gives it power. Some may be offended by its disdainful, even disrespectful treatment of Christianity. Harvie Krumpet finds his answer to the question elsewhere. But, by making a point of mocking Christianity, this film invites not scorn, but a rebuttal work of equal artistic grade (a tall order). All-in-all this film accomplishes more in twenty minutes than most can in two hours. Not bad.

a simple tale

[primitifcinema · 4/10 · 1 August 2005]

This is a simple tale but it feels very manipulative. It lacks pathos for it does not leave a room for imagination or a personal thought or time for reflection.

The animation is well done but I feel like it is too presentational. I would have preferred more images from behind, more space in the background and maybe then this would not feel so kitsch to me.

But for a Hollywood style film it works OK but it is very derivative of Aardman films and this is bothering to me. Perhaps a longer film will test if this maker can do without the voice-over.

I think the voice over is too glib.

Deserving of wider recognition

[rgbarbero · 1 March 2004]

I came upon this film by accident--the Australian production company approached my company to license music for "Harvie Krumpet", and after looking at Adam's earlier films we agreed. When I received a VHS tape of Harvie, I was thrilled, not just because of our music, (we got paid whether it was good or not) but because I felt a sense of discovery for a very unique talent and world view. Harvie's world of deadly boredom mixed with equal parts of magic and joy sets this film apart. It seems that Adam Elliot has a great mix of talent--an eye for clever animation with a mind for the daily collision of ordinary and extraordinary.

Geoffrey Rush is understated yet still expressive in his narration. But the film belongs to Adam Elliott with his sight gags and "what really is the difference between tragedy and comedy" mindset.

Uplifting or depressing? Your pick.

[Horst_In_Translation · 8/10 · 2 June 2015]

This is a 22-minute short film, set in the 20th century, written and directed by Adam Elliot, who made the critically applauded "Mary and Max" a couple years later, but sadly has not worked on a new film since 2009. With "Harvie Krumpet" he won an Academy Award in the animated short film category against a Pixar entry and some other strong competition. The big strength of this short film is its emotion. There does not pass a minute without something significant happening to Harvie and there are constantly new impacts on his life, positive and negative ones. A whole lot about the movie is about illness, disease, disability and death, so it may not appeal to everybody, but the ending is actually one that will put a smile on your lips. Krumpet is easily one of the most interesting animated characters of the new millennium and I would love to watch a full feature on him. This is probably difficult though as there is constant narration here (with the characters not talking) and it might become a bit annoying if it goes on for 80 or more minutes. This is, of course, not a criticism against Geoffrey Rush who I adore as an actor and who is as brilliant here as with everything else he does. He has a huge share of this Academy Award. Anyway, I totally enjoyed watching this film. The animation is not the most modern, but it fits the storytelling and main character perfectly, better than any glorious animated special effects would. Would I call it uplifting or depressing? Well, I guess uplifting, but realistic is a more fitting terms and it includes the delights and tragedies of a lifetime in this film and I also loved the film's humor. Very well-done. Highly recommended and certainly a worthy Academy Award winner.

Brilliant

[Cheddar · 10/10 · 20 January 2007]

I just stumbled on this on Sundance Channel and can't say enough good things about it. Everything I've seen of Adam Elliot's amazes me with its sweetness, its humor but always with streaks of real-life pain. This isn't stop animation for the kids, or at least for very young kids. Nonetheless, go out of your way to see this -- recommend it very, very highly. Elliot's characters first seem like little goblins. Then their existences are so gorgeously fleshed out with details and very human experiences. Every character that is introduced reminds me of people I have known once Elliot's beautiful writing (and wonderful narration by Geoffrey Rush in this case) lets you get to know them.

life must persist

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 24 January 2016]

Adam Elliot's Oscar-winning "Harvie Krumpet" focuses on a man who suffers repeated misfortunes but persists no matter what. Half look at those on the fringes of society, half reminder to never give up (and also contains a fair amount of fun facts). Harvie is not the world's most sophisticated person, but is one of the most precocious and benevolent guys whom you'll ever meet. The clay animation is similar to the style found in Nick Park's work. I would say that the cartoon deserved its Oscar win (although I haven't seen any of 2003's other nominees in the category). It's too bad that more people don't get a chance to see the Oscar-winning animated shorts. Some of these are among the most interesting works that I've seen. I definitely recommend this one.

Absolutely Amazing

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 26 June 2019]

As odd as this film is, I can't wait to watch it again. To take one of the "others" and tell his life story, is a reach. And yet it is done with such verve and gentleness that it really works. Harvie, for all his problems, is far more interesting than virtually any character I've encountered. This is a must see for everyone.

Darkly Hilarious

[valleyjohn · 8/10 · 24 May 2011]

Harvie Krumpet is an Oscar winning short animated movie that was directed by Adam Elliot who made the brilliaint " Mary and Max" . Although this film was made 5 years earlier than M&M it is unmistakably the same in its animation and Humour. Harvie Krumpet is a Polish immigrant who has Torrette's , smokes 28 cigarettes a day , has a head that is magnetic and is a naturist. This is his hilarious life story of no matter is thrown at Harvie he is always going to bounce back. What i love about Adam Elliots films is it's brutal ,dark comedy aspect. The characters involved are not not normal people at all , they are people with extreme complications but you cant help but love them ! Harvie Krumpet is not something you would show the kids and especially not your ageing granny but if you likes Mary & Max you will like this too.

Pointless and depressing...but fun!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 5 January 2008]

This is a strange little short film and the oddness and pointlessness of it all didn't come as a surprise to me since I'd already seen three other claymation shorts by the same man responsible for this film (Adam Elliot). In his previous shorts, which were shorter but very similar, he explored various people from his life (a cousin, uncle and brother) and I have no idea if these were real people or not--but I do know that the shorts were funny and strange yet quite touching.

In HARVIE KRUMPET, you have pretty much the same thing except the overall message seems to be that life is pretty meaningless but you should live it with gusto. Now I know that this sounds very depressing, and at times it is, but with all the weird animation and jokes, it still made me smile--even when it seem a bit creepy now and again. However, I am sure that this short is NOT for everyone--it's just so odd and seemingly pointless that many will be inclined to just give up and stop watching. However, please keep viewing the short--it is infectious--the more you watch, the more you want to see.

Decent animation, good narration (how the creator was able to get Geoffrey Rush to narrate is beyond me) and an odd and twisted style of story telling make this a fascinating video. If you like this, please try his others. They can all be found at Atoms Films' website as well as on the Sundance Channel.

By the way, I have seen a couple of the films that KRUMPET beat out in the Oscar race. BOUNDIN' is a well-made but rather bland Pixar short about a bouncing sheep and GONE NUTTY is a very pleasant short from Fox that stars that primordial mouse who chases the acorn in ICE AGE. While I really liked GONE NUTTY, it lacked innovation so of the three films KRUMPET does seem to be the best. I want to see DESTINOS, but since it's a Disney product, I doubt if I'll find it on the internet for free (Disney give away something free?!?! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!) and I don't know if it's on DVD.

Dark Humour at its best!

[Scapercat · 8 March 2004]

Harvie Krumpet is one excellent story. Very dark at times but also a reflection of life. As Harvie's life unfolds you can't help but think, yep life is like that. It's very funny, very sad and also very true.

My family sat down tonight to watch Harvie on SBS (Australian TV station) and we all fell in love with Harvie. Our ages ranging from 29 through to 85, we all all found something we could relate to in Harvie. Excellent storytelling, plenty of dark humour and a character you can't but help love.

The story and the humanity we see in Harvie is what makes Harvie Crumpet so appealing. There is also excellent Claymation that adds many dimensions to the characters. The expressions upon the characters faces truly add to the story that is being told. Each character is expressive and unforgettable. An excellent example of great story telling.

Go Harvie!!!!

Fakt 372

[Marwan-Bob · 9/10 · 20 May 2019]

The trouble with nude dancing is that not everything stops when the music does.

A touching stop-motion short that is also a little adult

[Stompgal_87 · 9/10 · 22 July 2014]

I first heard of this short when I purchased a DVD to raise money for a 2004 tsunami appeal, which included a short clip from it (from Harvie's lightning strike to his new-found freedom as a nudist and an animal rights activist). When I finished watching Jambareeqi's review for 'Mary and Max,' also directed by Adam Elliot, he recommended 'Mary and Max' to those who enjoyed 'Harvie Krumpet.' Today I found out that I could view 'Harvie Krumpet' on YouTube and, despite its adult content in parts, I found it touching and enjoyable.

The animation style is different from other stop-motion styles such as Aardman for example and I could see why the characters in 'Mary and Max' looked pretty similar to the characters here. The colours were mostly on the dull side but certain backgrounds had a little more vibrancy. Even though the dialogue was minimal, it was saved by Geoffrey Rush's engaging narration that was as simple and effective as Barry Humphries's narration for 'Mary and Max.' Although the story has some adult content, it still focused on serious issues such as Tourette's syndrome (although not as prominent as Max's Asperger syndrome in 'Mary and Max'), asthma, bereavement, Alzheimer's disease, humiliation and overdose of drugs. The music may not be quite as memorable as that in 'Mary and Max' but I liked the brief operatic piece that plays when Harvie releases his freedom as well as the song 'God is Better than Football.' The characters had distinct appearances and personalities such as Harvie being naive yet knowledgeable for instance.

Overall, 'Harvie Krumpet' is a worthwhile stop-motion short and easily recommended for fans of 'Mary and Max.' 9/10.

The Life of a Strange albeit Good Hearted Clay Man

[elicopperman · 8/10 · 11 June 2022]

Adam Elliot is a highly respected stop-motion animator lauded for his personal semi-biographical projects executed through darkly comedic storytelling and mixing of optimism with bitter reality. Having been recognized from the Oscars for his psychological short film Harvie Krumpet, among many other projects, it's clear how much love and dedication he puts in his work through traditional filmmaking rather than the aid of anything commercial. As for the multi-award winning film itself, it summarizes just how much fun one can have with their own story through provocative themes and hysterical scenarios.

The film details the life story of Harvie Krumpet, a Polish-Australian man who experiences constant bad luck growing up yet always remains optimistic. Given that the film is loosely based on people Elliot knew growing up, be it family or mutuals, the entire story feels heavily inspired with all the different occurrences that dictate Harvie's life, albeit for both the better and worse. Almost told as a comedy of errors, Harvie's entire life feels like one big biography edited down into less than half an hour of shocking detail and hilarious misfortune. In addition, the film showcases a clever usage of random factoids that essentially teach Harvie about the real world even more than school itself, making the tone feel entertainingly educational. Even for all of the dark content and hysterical situations, the film is also very moving based on Harvie's tragic upbringing in Poland, his horribly mundane start in Australia and even putting his own odd yet loving family. From the affection and warmth shown throughout the poor man's livelihood, it goes to show how much good can come from even the worst situations.

As far as filmmaking is concerned, the film was shot on a modified 16mm Bolex camera and partially made in Elliot's garage. Given the limited resources, as well as the noticeably small budget, the final look feels appropriately retro, as if we're viewing someone's life through moving grainy photographs. The more advanced and complex looking set design compared to Elliot's previous work would only advance further with his acclaimed feature-film Mary & Max, adding in to the almost stream of conscious take on Poland prior to WWII and Australia's own Spotswood suburb that Harvie experiences. The character work feels like the work of a one man band, with plasticine structures and limited movements saved by specific facial expressions. The acting is so visually specific that outside of Geoffrey Rush's narration, the entire life of Harvie is all told to let the viewer's make up their own conclusions, almost as if you could watch the film silently and get the same experience. As the old saying goes, less is more, especially with a film that knows how much to tell only by showing.

Not only does Harvie Krumpet deserve all the awards it has gotten in its original festival run, but it marks as the quintessential introduction to Adam Elliot's small albeit powerful filmography. Thanks to a strong meshing of shocking humor with emotional pathos, the film is just as disturbing as it is funny and insightful. Although Elliot has made other projects worth just as much if not more attention as Harvie Krumpet, it's always worth giving the time of day as a solid introduction to a unique individual who has told stories similar to his own upbringing through the art of animated storytelling.

A classic short film, and still feels underrated

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 8/10 · 3 September 2022]

I know I saw this Australian (Oscar winning!) claymation short film some years ago, but it was far enough in the past that watching it tonight felt like seeing it for the first time. It's only about 20 minutes long, and essentially tells the life story of a European immigrant who moves to Australia and deals with various health problems and tons of bad luck, but keeps on living and finding purpose and meaning in life where he can. It's sort of funny in parts, and quirky, but more often than not, it's really sad. I know when I was younger, it felt more comedic, but now it feels like more of a drama.

There's basically no dialogue, just narration, and it's all told a bit like a children's story. It's so simple but something about the style works. I'm always surprised and impressed when someone can make a simple story told in a simple way still feel engaging and emotional, but Harvie Krumpet does just that, somehow. I sort of wish it had been longer, but maybe part of that simplicity is condensing the story down into a short film.

The director, Adam Elliot, also did Mary and Max from 2009, which was a feature film. I remember that being really good too, so might have to revisit that at some point. For anyone who likes Don Hertzfeldt's animated shorts and films (especially It's Such a Beautiful Day) and hasn't seen Harvie Krumpet, I'd highly recommend it.