The Sun and the Frogs: A Very Hungry Pond

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, you either want to watch a short film about pond life for ten minutes, or you really, really don't. If you like nature documentaries but wish they were edited by someone with a slightly surreal, artistic streak, you will probably dig this. If you are looking for a plot, or dialogue, or literally anything resembling a human being, you are going to be staring at your wall within seconds. 🐸

The whole thing has this oddly hypnotic rhythm. You just sit there watching these frogs blink. They blink a lot. It is almost too much blinking, if that is even a thing.

Then the fish shows up. This isn't your typical Finding Nemo type situation, either. The fish is on a mission. It is genuinely unsettling how much focus this fish has. It makes me think of The Reporter in terms of sheer, unwavering persistence, even though they have absolutely nothing else in common.

There is this one shot of a frog just sitting on a lily pad, looking completely unbothered by the apocalypse happening below the surface. It reminded me of the stillness in Laddie, but way wetter. You can almost feel the tension in the water. Or maybe I’m just projecting human stress onto amphibians.

The camera work is pretty great for what it is. It doesn't try to make the pond look like a grand epic. It just stays low. It gets right in there with the muck. Some people might find the pacing a bit slow, but I kind of liked that it didn't rush. It just let the frogs be frogs until they weren't anymore.

I found myself wondering if the fish had a specific target or if it was just swinging at everything. The movie doesn't tell you. It just shows you. Sometimes that is better than a narrator explaining the 'circle of life' for the thousandth time.

• The frogs look surprisingly grumpy.
• The water clarity changes in a way that feels a bit inconsistent, but who cares?
• The sound design is mostly just bubbles and splashes, which is weirdly relaxing.

It’s not going to change your life, but it’s a nice way to kill ten minutes if you’re feeling burnt out on heavy dialogue and CGI battles. Just don't expect a happy ending for everyone involved.