The times they are a-changing, in After You, a seven minute computer animation from Irish director Damien O’Connor. Set on the doorstep of a Dublin Hotel, the almost entirely dialogue-free short tells the story of a loyal doorman who attends his post for six long decades while watching the world change around him. Amongst the most significance evolutions is the advent of the revolving door; an invention that our silent hero fears will render him obsolete.
The design of Connor’s doorman, like a little Lego man, is wonderfully endearing, and suggests a simple, child-like innocence in the pleasure of a job well done. As the seasons pass – communicated via montage backed by a simple, elegant piano score – we watch him remain steadfast; dutiful in the face of unstoppable progress. The misty cinematography imbues the film with a beautiful sense of nostalgia, but a bittersweet ending suggests that a life lived worrying isn’t really lived at all.
Tom Clift: How would you describe your film in one sentence?
Damien O’Connor: The only constant is change.
Tom Clift: When did you know you wanted to be a filmmaker?
Damien O'Connor: From a very young age. I remember seeing Star Wars as a child and complaining that the space ships should have been painted black with white spots to camouflage them. From that day on I decided I would one day make a science fiction opus with black and white spotted space ships. In hindsight it was a probably a little ambitious to take on Star Wars at six years old, but that was pretty much the beginning of my filmmaking obsession.
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