The Quest for Freedom
and the Longing for Belonging
Animation Short
The Quest for Freedom and the Longing for Belonging is a short animated film dealing with the constant tension and the pendulum movement between freedom and belonging.
Work on the project began with writing questions that bothered me about love and relationships, such as:
From now until the end of my life will I sleep with only one person?
What does eternity mean in the world today?
Does everyone sometimes have erotic dreams about other people?
In a capitalist society, when more and more possibilities arise, is the subversive act in point of fact to get married?
The name of the film is taken from the book "Liquid Love" by the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman. I felt it expressed the zeitgeist of a certain period of time.
Many of us live in a constant movement between wanting to be individuals, not dependent on anyone, not adapting ourselves to social conventions, experiencing as much as possible, accomplishing something in this life, finding a unique way to live -
And on the other hand, the desire to grow roots, dedicate oneself, fall in love, feel exclusive towards another person, establish a home, belong to a certain person, to a family, to a community,
to a society. In between the two, we experience FOMO, disappointment, excitement, and shame.
The film investigates the tension and the pendulum swing between freedom and belonging. An attempt to express two opposing worlds trying to co-exist, where one will always overcome the other in constant, endless tension.
Review by Encounters Film Festival
Written by Laura-Beth Cowley