A young boy isn't ready to move on when his grieving family relocates to a new town.


THE RED BALL is used with permission from George Morgan. Learn more at https://hiddenartfilms.com.


Young Bamike and his family are moving to the suburban town of Basildon from London. Looking for a fresh start after the death of his brother Femi, Bamike finds himself at odds with his family, who have different ways of dealing with the loss. Bamike misses his brother and imagines them playing together still, but his parents don't want to wallow in their sadness. Bamike's father especially wants Bamike to leave behind his red ball, which makes the father angry to see.

But Bamike can't leave his favorite plaything behind, since it connects him with his imagined brother. But when the little boy follows the ball into a dangerous situation, he comes to terms with his grief and helps his family remember what they still have.

Directed and written by George Morgan, this poignant animated short captures the emotional journey of a small boy as he learns to grapple with grief, guilt and loss, captured in artfully layered 2D animation that balances the childlike world of the protagonist with the melancholy of his life situation.

The storytelling has the cleareyed clarity of a children's story, carefully laying out the building blocks of Bamike's story: the absence of a brother still alive in Bamike's heart, the change of setting and residence, the sadness of his parents and his father's sharp anger at Bamike's red ball, which he demands to be left behind. Bamike refuses to leave the ball, however it is his only link with his dead brother Femi.

As the family leaves London and then settles into their new home, the flow of images achieves a delicate lyricism, helped along by an evocative sound design. The fluidity of the images as they meld into one another and reshape themselves into new ones evokes the porousness of a child's imagination, particularly Bamike's own. In his imaginings, his brother is still a seemingly living presence and Bamike just won't give up the ball that links him to his brother. But his persistence angers his father deeply, sending Bamike off to the nearby shoreline of the beach near his home.

Bamike finds consolation in his imaginary play with his brother. But soon even this pristine world untouched by reality must change, and signs of the hard truth seep through. Bamike finds his way of accepting this on his terms, in his own time, in a conclusion that gracefully unfolds with a gentle matteroffactness and piercing tenderness. It helps end THE RED BALL on a note of peace, connection and clarity for both viewers and Bamike feelings that allow space for sadness and grief, while still giving comfort for a lifechanging loss.