Cracked Review: A Haunting Animated Portrait of Isolation

By Justin D Williams

As part of my HollyShorts coverage, Cracked is one of those short films that proves you do not need much time to leave an impression. Directed by animator Jessica Rizk, the film runs for just under five minutes, yet it manages to create an unsettling portrait of isolation, self neglect, and a person gradually losing control of both herself and the world around her. The story centers on a woman living alone in an apartment that has fallen into severe disrepair. The mess surrounding her is not simply there to make the environment uncomfortable. The apartment increasingly feels like an extension of her emotional state. As the space deteriorates, so does she. Trash accumulates, insects appear, lights flicker, and the boundaries between the woman and her surroundings begin to feel increasingly distorted.

That is where Cracked works best for me. It never needs a lengthy explanation of what its protagonist is experiencing. Instead, Jessica Rizk allows the animation and environment to communicate what words probably could not. Depression, isolation, self neglect, and the feeling of becoming trapped inside your own life are expressed visually, making the apartment feel almost like another character in the film. The animation is also a major part of what makes the short stand out. Rizk reportedly spent roughly two years creating around 7,000 hand drawn frames, and that dedication comes through in the finished film. There is something appropriately imperfect and uncomfortable about the movement and imagery. It gives Cracked a handmade quality that works beautifully with material this personal.

Rizk has cited Picasso's Blue Period as an influence, and you can see how that idea fits the film's melancholy atmosphere. The short uses its visual style to create sadness without becoming completely hopeless. Even when the imagery becomes disturbing, it never feels like horror simply for the sake of shocking the audience. The increasingly surreal moments represent what is happening internally to this woman. I also appreciated that Cracked does not overstay its welcome. At less than five minutes, every image needs to accomplish something, and for the most part, it does. The film establishes the character, creates its atmosphere, communicates its themes, and reaches an emotionally satisfying conclusion without attempting to stretch a simple idea beyond what it can support.

I would have liked just a little more time with the character. Because the short moves so quickly, there is only so much emotional attachment it can build before reaching its conclusion. That keeps it from reaching Golden Reel territory for me. Still, what Rizk accomplishes in such a limited amount of time is impressive. Cracked is ultimately a small but memorable animated film about what can happen when isolation becomes consuming. Through expressive hand drawn animation and strong visual storytelling, Jessica Rizk turns a deteriorating apartment into a reflection of a deteriorating emotional state. It is unsettling, thoughtful, and another example of why short films can sometimes communicate more in five minutes than much longer productions accomplish in ninety.