I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

...and a war. after 66 years late, it remains surprising, fresh and fascinating. not only for the mix of stop-motion and live-actin but for a sort of magic who escape from explanations. it is the film who reminds the feelings at the circus show from childhood. and that does it more than amusing. but a trip in time, discovering a real usefull lesson about friendship and the meanings of war. so, a flowe. and two men.

If it wasn't for a brief mention made by François Truffaut about Norman McLaren on his book "Les Films de Ma vie" ("The Movies of My Life"), an recollection of his writing when he was critic, chances were high that I would be an ignorant who never seen the great works made by McLaren. Lucky me this didn't happened since "Neighbours" is one of the greatest short films ever made. Seriously!In its eight minutes and with a simplicity that knows no boundaries (as explicitly shown at the ending with titles that urge us to "Love Thy Neighbours" in several languages), the movie is about two happy neighbors, the one from the left and the one from the right, living their lives in fulfillment since everything one has the other has as well. Everything's cool up until a flower appear in the property line between both houses which starts an heated, somewhat comic, horrendous fight between both to see who gets the flower. A funny beginning of discussion with humored solutions that becomes quite tragic (but so funny to look at it, except for a strange moment when the fight gets personal and a baby gets kicked far away). This was shot in pixilation, an stop-motion animation with actors that is amazingly well-made and greatly edited (the first thing that came to my mind while watching it was Talking Heads clip Road to Nowhere). It's so cute, so simple yet it hides a more than an innocent message behind all those charming moments. This was released in 1952 and what was going on at that time that seems to reflect this movie? The war on Korea, conflict between neighbors and with some intervention from the U.S. Can I be more explicit than this? To me, this film is impactant just like Scorsese's "The Big Shave", they say more than what we see. One cannot watch something without taking in consideration the period the artist lived. It's all connected, it's all there. That's what art is all about. Well-deserved Oscar for Norman and thank you Mr. Truffaut for presenting me this genius. 10/10

Two neighbours sit opposite one another reading the same paper, smoking the same pipes and enjoying their property and lives. Things get even better when a beautiful flower grows in the middle of the joint garden that both men love for its appearance and aroma. However when they both try to appreciate the flower at the same time a minor squabble starts up regarding ownership of the flower and soon the conflict spirals out of control.I watched this short film after having it mentioned in discussions on classic short films I should see as part of trying to see more films than just the blockbusters that Hollywood kicks out month after month. Watching it more than fifty years after it was made I was surprised by how fresh it did feel. Of course it is still relevant, which is not really down to Maclaren but more down to the nature of man I think but the plot does still work. Modern viewers might feel that it runs a little longer than it should and it is pretty obvious in what it is saying and this was a quibble for me but not a deal breaker. What carried this simple morality tale was the animation, which is stop-motion but still feels fun and creative now.Using live things to do stop motion must be pretty difficult – it is a time consuming and painstaking process with clay and things (that can be kept still when you need them to be) but with humans that can lose position it is more challenging. Credit to Maclaren that it looks great and flows really well throughout. A classic short then even if it is not perfect. The simple message is laid on pretty thick and is not as smart as some would say but it is still smart enough to hold it together while the animation feels fresh and inventive.

This eight minutes film is the most know work of animation and experimentation wizzard Norman McLaren. It is as fresh as it was en the early fifties, and also as much disturbing. But the message is (sadly) still OK today. The story is about two friendly neighbourgs taking some fresh air near their fence. Suddenly a flower grows. And the two men kill each other for knowing which side of the land belongs the flower. All this without words, but with experimental music that McLaren had draw on the movie tape.