«Thanks to RP, thebiz, mac and geoff for such great comments. Very much enjoyed being a part of this contest, and it helps a lot to get your opinions on what worked and what didn't. »

«1st Impression: Speechless. Not the film, me after watching it. Such simplicity evoking such a strong emotional reaction goes beyond the use of mere words. One of the few films where dialogue would have shattered the storytelling.
Overall: No doubt about what was happening here. The ceremony of death is a deeply personal one, and as the two characters stopped to regard each frozen shrine the symbolism of what was going to happen struck me like a velvet sledgehammer. I found myself not wanting to see the inevitable. Powerful tale, powerfully told.»

«Great to see you active Paul. Great entry into the contest. Hope to see more from you soon!»

«Aw Paul, great to see you back again! This was a very beautiful, emotional piece. The music was very fitting and melancholic and it was effective when it suddenly went silent at the end. I liked the character models and the forest looked great - although a little bit samey at times. I think my main gripe was that the walking became a little repetitive at the beginning, mostly I think due to the fact that the set dressing didn't change very much. I liked that you didn't shove the story down our throats and were confident enough to simply suggest what was happening at the end, as to me the story became even more powerful because of that. What was also cool is how the story has another layer that I only discovered by reading the comments and seeing what TPK wrote - I think it's nice that even though there is that context, you filmed this in such a way that we don't necessarily need to know about Japanese folklore to understand and appreciate this as a standalone piece. Really beautiful work here Paul, love it »

«Aw Paul, great to see you back again! This was a very beautiful, emotional piece. The music was very fitting and melancholic and it was effective when it suddenly went silent at the end. I liked the character models and the forest looked great - although a little bit samey at times. I think my main gripe was that the walking became a little repetitive at the beginning, mostly I think due to the fact that the set dressing didn't change very much. I liked that you didn't shove the story down our throats and were confident enough to simply suggest what was happening at the end, as to me the story became even more powerful because of that. What was also cool is how the story has another layer that I only discovered by reading the comments and seeing what TPK wrote - I think it's nice that even though there is that context, you filmed this in such a way that we don't necessarily need to know about Japanese folklore to understand and appreciate this as a standalone piece. Really beautiful work here Paul, love it »

«Visuals wise, this is one of the best of the competition. Brilliant use of music and atmosphere as well.»

«Thanks to everyone for posting such kind comments. It's been a long time since I put a movie on TMU and it's inspiring to get some feedback. In answer to TPK, you've got it right though to correct you on a couple of points. The folklore suggests the older members of the family would sacrifice themselves during winter when food was scarce. Usually the elder son would carry his mother/father high up into the mountains and abandon them to die in the cold. Unfortunately, TS2 doesn't have a carry mod so had to improvise

Don't know why but my previous post here came out as 'anonymous', when in fact it's me, me I say, meeeeeee! »

«Ah. Beautiful and atmospheric. I really love your use of camera angles. On first viewing, I had no idea what this movie was about. Then, I looked it up. And then it dawned on me. Not only is this beautiful and atmospheric, it's also terrifying. Why did the man leave the old woman behind? Here's what I think based on what I looked up. I don't know if I'm right, but here's what I think. They're walking in suicide forest, the forest in Japan where people go to die. The man is leaving the old woman so she can die there. From what I read, legend has it that in ancient times families would abandon people in the forest during periods of famine when there was not enough food to go around. By sacrificing family members to the forest, there would be less mouths to feed and therefore enough food for the rest of the family. That's incredibly dark. Am I in the ball park? Well done. I really enjoyed this, and I learned something new today.»

«Very moving!»

«Beautiful and atmospheric!»

«Thanks Zeke and Chris »

«impressive I really like the music»

«Great job Paul nice to see you making movies again.»