The Romantic (film)

The Romantic

Poster
Directed by Michael P. Heneghan
Written by Michael P. Heneghan
Starring See below
Music by Nathan Terry
Release dates
 2009
Running time
 95 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $500[1]

The Romantic is an animated 2009 American film directed by Michael P. Heneghan.[2]

Plot summary

The Romantic was praised by critics for its smooth animation and unique visual style.

Set in a world of autumn landscapes, a young man, the Romantic, falls out of love with his girlfriend. He visits the goddess Love, asking her to restore his feelings. She warns him this is not a good idea, but when he persists she reluctantly agrees. When he returns to his girlfriend he finds her with another man. Feeling betrayed by the gods Love, Hate and Time, he sets out with his companion, Patience, seeking revenge.

The story of the Romantic is interwoven with the back story of the gods and a story about the corrupt Fat Daddy.

Cast

Jeff Cannata, Conor Gelches and Nathan Terry provided additional Voices.

Production

Director Michael P. Heneghan documented the production process on his blog The Pumpkin Moon.[3]

The film was released under a Creative Commons by-nc-sa 3.0 license.[4]

Reception

Mike Everleth of the Underground Film Journal called the film "a fairy tale for adults, in every sense [with] some blue language", but also commended the visual style as "beautifully unique" and the story as a "[masterfully rich woven] tapestry for a far-out fable". He wrote that "The Romantic is a very rich and complex fairy tale and, like all good fairy tales, has deep moral metaphors buried within its story." Everleth especially lauded the characterization, both visually and in their objectives, writing they are "unable to escape their fates, in the way that many of us can feel pushed and pulled around by our own emotions."[5]

Mark Bell of Film Threat gave the film four out of five stars, writing that "the story is a little bit all over the place" and that "allegories about religion and philosophy play out simultaneously." Visually he called it "a style all its own, and it is all-out crazy", and compared it to Yellow Submarine ("though not as psychedelic") and Picasso ("though not as abstract").[6]

Matt Cantor of Philadelphia City Paper called the film "an eerie, haunting film that's part myth, part fairy tale, and part fable." He wrote that the plot was "more episodic" than a traditional Hollywood story arc and "at times difficult to follow", but called the Tim Burton-echoing animation ultra-smooth, gorgeous and original. He also commended Jason Salerno's performance as Romance "passionate and convincing" and Nathan Terry's original film score "sweet and atmospheric".[7]

Director Michael P. Heneghan said that "Submitting to film festivals was far, far more expensive than making the film", but "Surprisingly, a pop-fantasy animated feature film festooned with cartoon ding-dongs and nudey parts featuring a cast of difficult-to-love monsters working out their baggage over the course of a million subversive plot points didn’t really strike a chord with most film festival curators. Our first rejection letter came from a festival that I really wanted to be a part of and thus we started our film festival application process with a small chip on the shoulder and a little bit of a wounded heart. So it goes."[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Dan. "An Interview w/ Michael Heneghan: Director of The Romantic", geekadelphia.com, 6 April 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  2. ↑ Michael P. Heneghan, Director's webb page. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  3. ↑ Michael P. Heneghan. The Pumpkin Moon. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  4. ↑ Michael P. Heneghan The Romantic - The Animated Feature Film, vimeo.com. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Mike Everleth. "Feature Film Online: The Romantic", Underground Film Journal, 20 February 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Mark Bell. "The Romantic", Film Threat, 16 October 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  7. ↑ Matt Cantor. "Movie Review: The Romantic", Philadelphia City Paper, 16 February 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
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