Haplea is a weird little cartoon that actually works

You should probably watch Haplea if you like seeing how cartoons looked before they got all smooth and corporate. It is a weird little relic from Romania that feels like looking at someone's old, dusty sketchpad come to life.

If you need a plot that makes sense or fancy CGI, stay far away from this one. 🤡

The main guy, Haplea, just shows up in this village after walking 100 kilometers. 100 kilometers! I get tired just walking to the fridge most days.

He has this strange way of moving. Like his limbs aren't quite attached to his body in the right way, which I guess is just 1920s animation for you.

He meets this widow named Frosa. And honestly? I totally get it.

They decide to get married pretty fast. It is that old-school movie logic where you see someone once and decide that is your person for life.

The animation is shaky. Sometimes the lines just sort of wiggle for no reason, even when nothing is happening.

It reminds me a bit of the simplicity in Sunday Calm, but way more... rustic? If that's the right word.

Marin Iorda did the whole thing himself. You can really tell it is a one-man passion project because it feels so personal and unpolished.

There is a bit where he is just staring. Just staring at nothing for a few seconds too long.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Haplea (1928) through its definitive frames.

It is funny because it is so earnest. It isn't trying to be anything other than a silly little story.

The village is called Haplesti. Real creative naming there, guys.

It feels like a comic strip that someone accidentally breathed life into. Which makes sense because that is basically what it was.

I forgot to mention the backgrounds. They are basically just white space with a few wiggly lines representing houses.

But that makes the characters pop more, I guess. Or maybe they just ran out of ink?

It is much shorter and less heavy than something like Lilies of the Field, obviously. You can finish it in the time it takes to boil an egg.

You won't remember the music—wait, it is silent. You won't remember the silence because you'll be too busy looking at his weird nose.

I liked his hat. He has a very specific, tall hat that seems to have a personality of its own.

It is not "good" in a modern way. But it is charming in a way that big movies today usually forget to be.

Watch it with a coffee. Or when you are just bored on a Tuesday afternoon and want to see a guy walk a hundred kilometers for a widow.