An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
- 2022
- 11m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
A young office worker uncovers the flaws in his stop-motion universe with the help of a mysterious talking ostrich.A young office worker uncovers the flaws in his stop-motion universe with the help of a mysterious talking ostrich.A young office worker uncovers the flaws in his stop-motion universe with the help of a mysterious talking ostrich.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 6 nominations total
Lachlan Pendragon
- Neil
- (voice)
John Cavanagh
- The Ostrich
- (voice)
Michael Richard
- Bill the Boss
- (voice)
Jamie Trotter
- Gaven
- (voice)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn a 2022 interview, Lachlan Pendragon spoke about the intentions behind the film's unique narrative presentation: "It's a very 'meta' film. Stop-motion for me is so much about the craft of the film. I wanted the audience to be very conscious that they were watching something that had been made, something that was completely fabricated. So finding ways to incorporate as much of that making of, the behind-the-scenes, into the finished product, was my way of celebrating that and inviting the audience to be part of the filmmaking experience, to come back stage and watch over the animator's shoulder."
- Quotes
The Ostrich: Question everything young man, the world is not quite what it seems.
- ConnectionsFeatured in 2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Animation (2023)
Featured review
So take "The Matrix", "The Office", Wallace and Gromit, a couple of B-grade Twilight Zone episodes, and add a very healthy dose of the classic Loony Tunes "Duck Amuck", mix them in a blender, and you will get something close to "An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake..."
I will say from the outset that there were several laugh out loud moments here, as the existential crisis of an office worker who (no spoilers, it's in the title) has reason to believe he's not actually real develops. It's an enjoyable little piece of pulling back the curtain to see how the Wizard of Oz operates, with what I'd normally say is a fun and intriguing premise.
That's where this left me a bit flat (no aspersions on our more two-dimensionally oriented animators) however. The ground here, so well sowed by PK Dick, has been amply harvested in recent years by "Vanilla Sky", "Inception", and a host of others littered across streaming outlets. There's no big reveal here, as you know from the first moment what the character eventually learns. Then there's no release to the tension, as in the end everything is as the viewer sees it to be from frame 1 (I know this because the frames are all counted off in the corner of the screen - a shoutout to Godard's "Le Mepris", perhaps? At least among many other films-within-films premises.)
So we're left with a feeling of unease, sadness, and no real insights into the dilemma our little office drone has. It's a cute little film but needed just a touch more story to complete it.
I will say from the outset that there were several laugh out loud moments here, as the existential crisis of an office worker who (no spoilers, it's in the title) has reason to believe he's not actually real develops. It's an enjoyable little piece of pulling back the curtain to see how the Wizard of Oz operates, with what I'd normally say is a fun and intriguing premise.
That's where this left me a bit flat (no aspersions on our more two-dimensionally oriented animators) however. The ground here, so well sowed by PK Dick, has been amply harvested in recent years by "Vanilla Sky", "Inception", and a host of others littered across streaming outlets. There's no big reveal here, as you know from the first moment what the character eventually learns. Then there's no release to the tension, as in the end everything is as the viewer sees it to be from frame 1 (I know this because the frames are all counted off in the corner of the screen - a shoutout to Godard's "Le Mepris", perhaps? At least among many other films-within-films premises.)
So we're left with a feeling of unease, sadness, and no real insights into the dilemma our little office drone has. It's a cute little film but needed just a touch more story to complete it.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Страус сказал мне, что мир фальшив, и я думаю, что верю в это
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime11 minutes
- Color
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By what name was An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It (2022) officially released in Canada in English?
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