Still by Costanza Thom

Costanza Thom’s The Wilting Point is a fascinating and abstract stop-motion cutout animation that retells the story of “Gianna’s Procession” (“La Processione di Gianna”) by Valerio Giordano. The Wilting Point, which could be construed at a surface level as a horrific story of a woman melting on a public train, is transformed into a deeply self-reflexive and poetic short film. The fact that a person can be so isolated within a community, that it is only by melting that other people will show them empathy or, as the narrator does, a crushing guilt as a result of a perceived lack of empathy. 

Wilting Point takes surrealism in its stride and, using a bold and colourful approach, weaves both symbolism and realism into a poetic rollercoaster of imagery. Thom revisits symbols of the earth cracking or a slowly wilting poppy, often a representation of death or dreams, and perhaps an appropriate summary of the film as a whole.

Whilst the audio quality and seemingly shaky paper backgrounds could at first seem off-putting, together, along with an older style of animation, they provide a more retro and grungy feel, luring the viewer slowly into an artistic trance. You simply cannot take your eyes off what is happening, and you’ll rack your brain to unearth the meaning behind every frame. Impressively, despite the choppy nature of its animation style, the film’s movements, particularly in the melting scene, flow spectacularly and bring a real sense of texture and movement. This colour-heavy, art deco-esque design style, along with the minimal yet impactful sound design and the personable narration, creates an altogether deeply unsettling and thought-provoking film.