Director: Nazim Tulyakhozayev
Writer: Nazim Tulyakhozayev, based on a story by Ray Bradbury and inspired by a Sarah Teasdale poem
Release year: 1984

Perplexing Russian short

The year is 2026. Nuclear devestation has happened. In one house, tireless robots and absurd machinery once programmed by humans, continue to perform their monotonous tasks…

This compelling animated movie from Russia, effectively portraying a post-apocalyptic sitcom scenario, deserves some praising, if it were only because it’s so undeservedly obscure. The poem and short story it is based on, entitled “There Will Come Soft Rains” are fairly known, but this is a Soviet product released during the heights of the Cold War and thus not exactly something that got received well at the time. The story takes place in the year 2026, where state-of-the-art technology and robots have taken over even the most routine daily household shores. The house robot is unable to notice, however, that an overnight nuclear apocalypse wiped out the residents and he loyally continues to perform his domestic tasks.

The technology is even so advanced that, when a pigeon – presumably the last living creature on the planet – flies through the broken window, the protection mechanism of the robot destroys the entire building. There Will Come Soft Rains offers a very engaging combination of sadness and disturbance, and although it sounds very clichéd, this short film genuinely evokes sentiments like “will mankind ever learn to stop destroying its own habitat?” Yes, it was that effective! Although they’re merely just animated drawings, the images of vaporized children (still holding their teddy bears) and piles of dust in the rocking chair where grandma used to sit are nightmarish and will make you feel uncomfortable. The heavy, computerized voice of the robot is scary and has “futuristic depression” written all over it.

I had the privilege of seeing this unforgettable short during Brussels Offscreen Film Festival, but I feel it should be put as an extra feature on DVD releases of other thoughtful Sci-Fi dramas, like for example When the Wind Blows and Ladybug, Ladybug.

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Vomitron’s additional comments: Aside from all previous praises, I just want to say that what eventually happens to the pigeon, even left the greatest impression on me. The solid ending was, in a way, ingeniously set up earlier in the movie, but no way you’ll see it coming. A perfect short film, period.

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When?

Watch the complete 10 minute short: