From Darkness (2002) User Reviews

A Touching Story

[Theo Robertson · 7/10 · 7 July 2013]

This is an animated short film - read carton - of an Inuit legend . I have no idea if it is a legend or if it's something the animators made up but the story starts with the backstory of a young woman being thrown in to the icy waters by her father and the Inuit fisherman being terrified of fishing there . One day hunger forces through necessity a fisherman to cast his lines in that part of the sea

At this point I found myself hoping Iain Duncan Smith hadn't seen this in case if gave him any ideas about getting the unemployed back to work and you worry he'll be watching this rubbing his chin thinking " Ah yes intense hunger always brings out the latent work ethic in human beings "

As the story continues we have grotesque imagery that is almost as scary as anything in the present British government . The fact that it's animated helps a lot because it be rather difficult to realise through live action and it does have a very gloomy atmosphere possibly down to the sound effects that set the mood perfectly . It has an ending I didn't expect and I won't ruin it for you but anyone who likes animation will enjoy this short film by Nora Twomey

An excellent animation!

[Niffiwan · 10/10 · 19 October 2005]

"From Darkness" is a beautiful 8-minute retelling of an Inuit legend about a fisherman who casts his line in haunted waters.

The style of the animation is similar to the style of 2-D Inuit drawings (the artists here are very good), and the slow pace and starkly white surroundings perfectly capture the rhythm of life in such a place (I've tried fishing on the ice in Nunavut, and it is every bit as lonely as the film makes it out to be). The music is also worth singling out - it is very, very good, and perfectly captures the atmosphere of the film.

If you're a lover of thought-provoking animation, you will probably love this movie. It can be found in its entirety here:

http://zed.cbc.ca/go?CONTENT_ID=7848&c=contentPage (Yes, this is a legal site)

P.S. There is some slight nudity in the film, but I think that such a beautiful film can be watched by anyone really.

Inuit animation, beautifully drawn!

[Tom Murray · 9/10 · 11 February 2004]

'From Darkness' is based on an Inuit legend, with Inuit animation, beautifully drawn! An angry father throws his daughter into the sea, where she drowns. Fishermen still avoid the haunted waters. One brave fisherman goes there to fish and the magic starts.