Cages

A figure wanders across a plain, carrying on his shoulder a towering backpack of wooden boxes, the titular cages. It is a desert, and he is old. He carries a coin, flipping it in his hands, making the sign of the cross. He prays before a dust-storm; one which will change his life, and that of one of his charges.

The characters are stop-motion, more naturalistic than those of The Silence Of Sons but bearing the mark of stylisation, tufted hair, expressive eyes. Under real skies, through the desert we travel. The old man is fascinating enough, Juan José Medina's direction frames the action crisply. With Rita Basulto's assistance the animation is crisp, aided by the puppetry and model-making of León Fernandez.

There are other striking moments: a crucified scarecrow haltingly walking; a cherubim, a swimmerly flier with a baby face and little else, a terrible sight indeed; footsteps disappearing in howling sand; the implication of cycle, inevitability. There is a choral soundtrack, making good use of children's voices, José Alfredo Sánchez Gutiérrez has done good work with it. All involved can hold their heads up high, with the possible exception of the limb-light cherub - this is an affecting film, full of symbolism, awaiting allegorical weight, and well worth seeing.