The story of ‘The Littlest Undertaker’ is a new wave instant classic that has all the right indicators to become timeless from the very beginning. The first indicator is the fact that the story is situated in an imagined land of Thereabouts, similar to another great imagined land William Faulkner proposed at some point: Yoknapatawpha. Also, this place is remarkable for having few people, and a great style that transcends the boundaries of the imagination when talking about a remote place. Oskar, a kid that never felt any feelings, and whose heart is literally smaller than other kids, is the village undertaker, a job that may be hard and terrifying even for adults. This kid has a unique way of dealing with life as his grandfather taught him at some point – to never ever get involved sentimentally toward someone or something.

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The names have a great significance in this short fiction film, and we’ve noticed some cultural references that are delightful. First of all, the names: Oskar, the little boy, is sad, and never laughed in his life, and all he needs is a little bit of hope…well, the girl he meets one day is… Hope. In Eric Emmanuel Schmitt’s novel ‘Oscar and the Lady in Pink’ the little boy Oscar was suffering from a deadly disease, and he had only ten days to live. Here, what the Lady in Pink taught him was to never lose hope. Another great cultural reference in ‘The Littlest Undertaker’ is the chromatic used in many of the scenes along with the simple yet fresh narrated story, just as in any of Wes Anderson’s movies. Even the focus on Oskar finding Hope is similar to what Anderson did in movies like ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ or ‘Moonrise Kingdom’.

 

‘The Littlest Undertaker’ was built on a great idea, reason why we would love to see more of this in the near future. Kevin Molohan can take matters into his own hands and extend his short into a feature based on the same idea, approach and techniques, and we are one hundred percent sure he will have massive success!

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Written by Vlad A. G