Over the Sky Review

Les Planeurs or Over the Sky is a 2021 short film Directed by Pauline Pelsy-Johann.

What a gorgeous little film this is. Les Planeurs or Over the Sky is an amazing tribute to the wonder and hardships of youth against the backdrop of a beautiful yet overcast French countryside. It is harrowing in its vision and heartwarming in its delivery.

You could easily freeze on the very opening shot of this film and marvel at its painterly quality alone. It is a visual testament to what we are about to sit down to in our story. Something that is inviting yet somber, known to us yet foreign. There are glimpses of sunlight, enough to let us know we are not enveloped by foreboding darkness but yet not safe from the clouds above spewing down sprinkles of drizzling rain, just enough to keep us inside.

The world of Alice we are carefully asked to join in is one that is simple but oppressive with parents who are at odds with one another. The fighting screams billowing up the stairs to her bedroom. She dares not interfere so instead she runs to the true natural countryside with her friend Leo. The little details we see on this adventure Pelsy-Johann takes extra care to give it so much more depth. The abandoned house the kids go toward in the woods, occupied by a homeless person, all seem like something out of our own reality. One where as children our adventures are exaggerated by the details we make up in our own imaginations.

Despite the somber tones this is a film inevitably about finding hope despite the bleak situations life may bring. Escape may be the thing we seek but sometimes acceptance is the much more powerful tool. There are reasons that anything handed to us in life are not ideal but it does not mean we have to run away from them. There are just so many small details that can be taken away from this beautifully told story.

On a technical level the audio mix is astounding, the score fits each scene perfectly, and the cinematography is just plain amazing. It is so evident that Pelsy-Johann has a great eye but also a wonderful vision that has been executed at each level. I give a big hand to her entire team. The cast as well shine wonderfully, with Alice of course being the star standout here.

This is a film that I can very easily recommend you taking the time to sit down with. I enjoyed everything start to finish and I truly felt transported to the strange wonder my own childhood brought me through this film. I can not wait to see more work from Pauline Pelsy-Johann and I am so thankful I was able to sit down with this piece.

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Cheers!

Daniel Hess

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