With beloved films like “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox” being notably recognized as some of the best films in the 21st Century, there’s no denying animated features can be quite successful in mainstream media. Still, animated films seem to be consistently erased from all “serious conversations” about film. I can’t count the amount of times I bring up animated films and they’re dismissed as only being for kids. Netflix’s new anthology film “The House” is a prime example of animation displaying true art, in a way that is more complex than most modern blockbusters.
Three Beautifully-Crafted Vignettes
“The House” contains three 30-40-minute beautifully stop-motion animated vignettes, all revolving around a particular house. While not connected, all three mesh together extremely well, each focusing on different but nonetheless compatible themes. The first, titled “And Heard Within, a Lie is Spun” follows a little girl named Mabel’s family as they move into a new house they received as a gift. Over time, she sees her parents become corrupted by the riches of their new property. It’s definitely the most horrifying and surreal of the three, an interesting choice for the opening of the film. It holds nothing back, letting the viewer know what they’re getting into.
The second short film called “Then Lost is Truth that Can’t Be Won” follows a home flipper (who just so happens to be an anthropomorphized rat). Right before his big house opening, he discovers the house is infested with cockroaches and larvae and begins to spiral out of control. Finally, the last vignette is a little less intense, focusing on an anthropomorphic cat landlord who has to deal with her house that’s falling apart, and her unpaying tenants. Titled “Listen Again and Seek the Sun,” it serves as a surprisingly optimistic send-off, especially juxtaposed with the previous horrifying entries.
While it would make sense to review and analyze the film as a whole, all three stories are so unique that it would dishonor them to study them in such a wide manner. Here, all three stories will be analyzed and reviewed individually, making sure they get the attention they need.
‘And Heard Within, a Lie is Spun’
The first short film sets the tone for the rest of the anthology. It opens on a beautifully-shot and created set, pulsing with subtle tones and vibrant color. And then we take a look at our characters. These felt puppets might be the scariest part of this film. Their wide, fuzzy heads are indescribably large compared to their miniscule eyes, nose, and mouth. It feels so unnatural, so creepy, and for the first few minutes, it’s all you can think about.
Besides the beautiful yet unnerving art style, the story is very interesting too. Mabel, her parents, and baby sister Isobel live in poverty, sometime in the 20th Century. As they are gifted the mansion in exchange for their small piece of land, Mabel watches her parents transform from down-to-earth, impoverished yet loving parents, into materialistic shells of what they once were.
There’s many supernatural elements going on, too. The house seems to be haunted, with various horrifying “repairmen” around the house, shifting hallways and stairs and other terrifying situations (I don’t want to spoil the ending). Van Shoonbeek, the rich man who traded them the mansion, acts as the driving force behind the house’s nefarity. We never quite get to know the man, but we see him evilly laughing in the corner a number of times. He somehow hypnotized the parents, leaving them in a material obsession of the house and all the benefits that come with it.
Illuminating Soul-Harming Decisions
Personally, I believe Shoonbeek, in some way or another, is the devil. It makes sense. He comes to the father in the middle of the night in a surreal carriage, where he proposes the mansion trade. Throughout the rest of the story, he slowly begins to corrupt the parents until they’re unrecognizable, sinisterly laughing in the background until they go past the point of no return. The way I see it, the father sold his soul to the devil that fateful night, to try to get his family out of poverty. Doing so obviously had drastic consequences.
If anything, I think this vignette is a little anticlimactic. We never get any true answers about the happenings of this house, or Shoonbeek. Yes, art is allowed to be ambiguous, especially in such a surreal setting such as this animation project. But without true answers, it kind of seems like a skin-deep take on materialism. Still, this first story was a wonderful set-up for the rest of the film. Beautiful visuals and craftsmanship, create an unsettling storyline un-fractured by an ending that doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Our Grade: A-
‘Then Lost is Truth that Can’t be Won’
It’s no question—this is the strongest entry of the bunch. As I stated before, this story follows a renovator in England who is trying to flip the very same house that was the centerpiece of the last film. As he prepares for his big open house, his mental health starts to dwindle out of control, especially when he has to balance his cockroach/larva infestation with loneliness. He eventually stalls the pests for the open house, only to see the guests of the open house not appreciate the work he put his life into. Again, there’s an amazing twist that I wouldn’t dare to spoil, but it’s so beautiful and horrifying and just a joy to experience.
The main theme revolves around failure to realize signs of mental health problems. As our main character delays all of these parts of the house (and himself) falling apart, he begins to crumble under the pressure, until he eventually succumbs to it. It’s unclear if it’s as emotionally devastating as the first, as there is much more comedy and physical humor; but I’d say the ending is just as—if not more—heartbreaking.
Depicting Feelings Through Excellent Animation
As for the animation, it takes a more standard approach to stop-motion, think Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” or “Coraline” by Henry Selick. Still, while those films have exaggerated colors and bright settings, this animated depiction of London feels very muted. But it’s not from a lack of color correction; it seems intentional, and depicts our protagonist’s feelings very well. Muted, sad, gray. It contributes to the tone very well, making the animation in this anthology so far 2 for 2.
I can’t really say much more about this one. It’s so beautifully written, animated, and directed, with a theme that goes much deeper than the first story. Still, I’d argue that the twist is the part that really makes this story work; in order to understand why it’s so great, you just have to watch this one for yourself.
Our Grade: A+
‘Listen Again and Seek the Sun’
The final vignette provides some much needed optimism, the only one not to end in complete gloom. It follows Rosa, a cat, whose property is one of the last to survive a seemingly apocalyptic flood. She has two tenants in (you guessed it) the exact same house from the last two stories; and while she has strong emotional connections to both of them, it won’t take away from the fact that they still won’t pay their rent. But in a way, she envies their freedom she can’t have, as she is tied to this slowly dying house. As her tenants and only friends begin to go on their separate ways, Rosa must decide whether to stick with the house she’s taken care of for so many years, or find freedom and happiness.
This story is all about letting go from the things holding you back; it also makes your realize sometimes your dreams are those things holding you back. While touching on self-acceptance, it seems more to focus on how things might not always work out, and you can’t let that keep you from other experiences. The story was awfully slow at some parts, with numbers of scenes being easily cuttable. But in the end, the story was an insightful take on expectations that simultaneously show the value of relationships.
If Dreams Don’t Work Out—That’s Okay
The animation is pretty similar to the previous vignette; however, instead of constant whites and grays, there’s more sunset colors such as yellow and orange. It definitely changes the tone, and fits the happier aura a lot better. This one probably had the best cinematography as well, beautifully displaying the one house on the endless sea of flood.
While sometimes struggling to make its point, the third/final story is a great wrap-up for the whole film. I noticed all three films have an underlying theme of failed success. For the first, it’s how going from failure to riches can often corrupt you to the point of no return, overcompensating for the years of financial failure. For the second, it’s how your failed dreams can often crumble your soul, and send you down a rabbit hole of depression and insanity. The third, however, shows how dreams might not always work out, and that’s okay. A great arc to three completely unconnected films, one that would not work without such a strong ending.
Our Grade: A-
A Show Not to Miss
“The House” is one of the most beautiful and intellectually profound animated films, perhaps ever. It’s a rare gem that I can see getting more recognition as time goes on. It’s free on Netflix, so I encourage anyone who can to watch this absolutely phenomenal piece of art.
