The Physics of Sorrow

Lili misses her grandma, her Baba, who lives near the Black Sea. On the seashore, Lili once found a tzaritza, a magic shell that grants one wish. The little girl soon hatches a clever plan to bring her grandma to Montreal and make her father a happy man... Theodore Ushev combines warmth, humour, magic and reality as he explores Bulgaria through the eyes of a six-year-old girl. The lively, luminous images are complemented by the music of Normand Roger. A fantastic journey set in motion by a magic shell. This second set of films from the NFB collection Talespinners is being created for children aged 5 to 9. Talespinners 2 continues to use vibrant animation to bring stories from a range of cultural communities to the screen. The productions include four original stories and three based on storybook tales.

Physique de la tristesse retrace la vie d'un inconnu naviguant à travers ses souvenirs de jeunesse en Bulgarie, lesquels le ramènent à la mélancolie et au déracinement croissants qui plombent son existence d'adulte au Canada.

In the voiceover for this animated short, a young woman attempts to describe herself, casting her life in the ideal light that society expects. The film's imagery, however, tells a different story, poignantly illustrating the intense anxiety that comes with the quest for perfection and the pursuit of happiness. A film that's both funny and moving, and above all, profoundly human.