A whimsical mix of tribal folk tale and futuristic effects, tungu. will fully immerse you to a visual world of dance and eccentric landscapes.
Directed/animated by March Rühl and written by Georg Klein, the 9-minuter short tells the story of tungu, a tribe observed by scientists which lives peacefully outside the external world in the rainforest. These tribesmen are devoid of symbols and writing, they only communicate through simple dances.
After some months, the scientists visits the tribe just to discover that their whole behaviour and culture has completely changed. They now pray to a skull god and use weird signs painted on their bodies. Astonished by the cutural change, the scientists are determined to find out what happened.
The story used is in this film was based one of Georg Klein’s novel Die Logik der Süße (The logic of sweetness). It reminded of the 1980 film The Gods Must Be Crazy, but only more dramatic, serious, and devoid of the slapstick comedy. Even through the short runtime, the creators have managed to squeeze in the whole narrative without neglecting every important detail. Klein’s narration contributed a lot to set the mood, give the background, and establish the character of the tribe.
Technicality wise, Rühl’s six-month labor of love was really worth it. The painting and animation of each scenes were nothing short of magical. The tungu’s world were precisely done in an originally stylish flair. I love how the actors were mixed with the animated background adding much texture throughout the short.
The music by Kay Brader also contributed a lot to the overall rhytm of the film. The subtlety of the sound blends flawlessly to the narrative, building the tension as the scenes progress.
It is refreshing to see a film that’s envelopes both originality and visual spectacle. The creators of tungu. have done a lot of justice to the film. It’s that kind of film that will definitely garner a lot of attention and positive reviews.
Related Links:
tungu.’s Official Website
tungu. on Facebook
tungu. on Short Films
Marc Rühl on Vimeo