SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Gosh
Molly Midori Huson | 2024 | 4m | Australia | Australian (Animation)
Circles, triangles, squares and outlines of people morph rhythmically to a soundtrack to create a story.
Credits
Director & Writer
Molly Midori Huson
Producer
Aidan Smith
Interview with director Molly Midori Huson
1. What was one of the most challenging moments you faced while making Gosh? Did this ‘setback’ change the direction of the final story?
Illustrating meaning in the shapes using a non linear storyline. It felt like something virtually impossible and when I was showing friends rough cuts everyone took different meanings from the shapes and it made me really confused at times and I forgot what I was trying to do in the first place. Even though that is the point of Gosh, I ultimately had to work out a way to make it universally understandable in a broader sense, which was challenging due to the numerous ways one could interpret the film. Complexity can be mistaken for simplicity.
2. What was the biggest inspiration behind Gosh?
My best friend Aidan. I was battling a severe bout of depression during production and it was hard to be kind to myself. I would get up and stay in bed to work on the film, sometimes for six hours a day, taking breaks only to eat and sleep. It was a lonely few months but he kept encouraging me every day and reminded me the hard work would pay off even at stages I didn’t think it would be completed. I wasn’t sure the film ever would find an audience so his kind words meant bucketloads to me.
3. What message do you want the audience to take away from Gosh?
There is no message. Gosh is a mirror. I don’t think filmmakers should expect anything more from an audience than a viewing, that defeats the purpose of enjoying a film in the moment. It would be exciting to see two people argue about what the message is though, frankly I’m not sure I’d be able to pick a ‘correct’ side if they argued right in front of me, but that’s the point I suppose, it opens up reflection and discussion! Films are experiences, they are personal, like photographs or diary entries.
4. What is one thing about animation that draws you to telling your stories in this medium?
Animation always seemed challenging to me, like it wasn’t something I could pull off on my own since I have no animating experience. I wanted to prove to myself I could make a film on my own, call it my own and be proud once it was over. Funnily enough, it managed to become a team sport in the end because of all the support I received during production and post, from friends, family and other local filmmakers.
Reviews
Written by Edward King
Flinders University Bachelor of Creative Arts (Screen) Student
Lying somewhere between a music video and an experimental, abstract film, Gosh is an assault on the senses. The juxtaposition of perfect geomatic shapes being animated in an imperfect shaky hand is an interesting idea and lends what may otherwise be quite a cold abstract piece character. This is paired well with a computerised dance track, accented with the occasional shout and exclamation of human voices which, like the animation, injects humanity into something artificial. As Gosh continues, it works its way towards a truly hypnotic conclusion giving the non-narrative piece a through line and wrapping it together as a single cohesive piece. As the title suggests, Molly Midori Huson’s punchy short packs a whole lot more surprise, energy, and excitement than your average abstract experimental piece.
Written by Noah Montgomery
Flinders University Bachelor of Creative Arts (Screen) Student
Using little more than simple black and white doodles as animation is proven anything but limiting to this film. It is constantly throwing everything it has at the audience; moment to moment, Gosh is always changing and growing and reinventing itself, displaying boundless imagination in how these vivid motifs keep coming at you, and moving in different ways that leap far beyond any preconceptions of “doodles”. The music is the beating heart of the film, abrasive, scratchy and punchy, complimenting the animation and holding it to a rhythm. Every frame is a striking work of art that climbs into something completely hypnotic to the audience.