Press reviews for „Eeva“ by Morten Tšinakov and Lucija Mrzljak.
„Eeva from DN alum Lucija Mrzljak alongside Morten Tšinakov is filled with sound though – music, grunting, smashing – as a woman mourns her husband’s death in a fit of pure cathartic rage. Embracing absurdism at every turn, the use of colour – mixing blocky reds within an otherwise drab, bleak setting – expertly shows how grief can bleed through any setting, all the while building towards a suitably nihilistic conclusion.“
review from Redmond Bacon for directorsnotes.com
„As animation is oftentimes a more gestural medium than live-action, with its creator able to draw every single inch of the screen towards their own vision, it suits itself perfectly towards wordlessness. Eeva from DN alum Lucija Mrzljak alongside Morten Tšinakov is filled with sound though – music, grunting, smashing – as a woman mourns her husband’s death in a fit of pure cathartic rage. Embracing absurdism at every turn, the use of colour – mixing blocky reds within an otherwise drab, bleak setting – expertly shows how grief can bleed through any setting, all the while building towards a suitably nihilistic conclusion.“
review by Redmond Bacon for Directors Notes
„L’histoire : Il pleut à l’enterrement. Il y a beaucoup de pleurs, trop de vin et quelques rêves qui comblent les manques… Pourquoi on l’aime : Est-ce une étrange rêverie ou un cauchemar entêtant ? Les émotions sont difficiles à déchiffrer sur les visages des protagonistes d’Eeva, qui ressemblent à des masques. Des masques à la fois grotesques et pudiques, dans ce film d’animation énigmatique, habité par une tristesse aussi magnétique que surréaliste.“
review by Nicolas Bardot and Gregory Coutaut for Le Polyester
„[…] Die „Berlinale Shorts“ konzentrieren sich diesmal auf sechs Blöcke mit „nur“ 23 Filmen. Dadurch konnte das kuratorische Profil geschärft werden. Es erschöpft sich keineswegs in den oben beschriebenen Krisenszenarios. Die vitalsten Werke konstatieren das Elend nicht nur, sie schlagen daraus Funken. […] Die estnisch-kroatische Beerdigungsgroteske „Eeva“ katapultiert die besten Traditionen des osteuropäischen Animationsfilms ins ästhetische Jetzt. […]“
review by Claus Löser for Berliner Zeitung
„Erzählerischer entspinnen sich da die Welten anderer Short-Beiträge wie der von EEVA […], ein mehraktiges Trauerspiel in Grautönen und roten Farbtupfern, in dem ein Mysterium und bitterer Humor eng beieinander liegen und das sich nur vage selbst entwirrt.“
review by Paul Seidel for Riecks Filmkritiken
„‘It is an exceptional honour for me to present the film at the prestigious festival as the author representing the Croatian animated film. I am grateful to the Estonian-Croatian combination that has proven to be very successful so far, as well as to the entire team that supported us during the production, and to HAVC, without whose support we would not have been able to realize the film,’ said author of Eeva Lucija Mrzljak. The animation on the film was done by Goran Stojnić and Noemi Ribić along with Estonian colleagues Egert Kesa and Tarma Vaarmetsem. In addition to directing, Morten Tšinakov and Lucija Mrzljak also signed the editing, script (Tšinakov) and design (Mrzljak). The film was produced by Draško Ivezić (Adriatic Animation), along with Kalev Tamm from the Estonian studio Eesti Joonisfilm. Eeva is the story of the saddest day in Eeva’s life, when she suddenly becomes a widow. ‘We were very lucky to collaborate with a talented author duo for whom this is their third collaboration, the second with our studio. Lucija Mrzljak is the author of a strong author’s expression, and her distinctive illustrator’s handwriting is especially visible in Eeva, where she designed visual solutions based on Tšinakova’s script,’ said producer Draško Ivezić.“
review on CROATIAWEEK
„A delightfully surreal Croatian-Estonian animation about a woman grieving her partner at a funeral, but finding herself simply incapable of doing so ‘normally’. An amusing take on the performativity of mourning.“
review by Fedor Tot for journeyintocinema.com
„Prvi put od samostalnosti Hrvatska se natječe za prestižne Medvjede animiranim filmom. “Eeva“ je priča o najtužnijem danu u Eevinu životu koja iznenada postaje udovica.“
mention on HRT
„Die jüngste der makaberen Miniaturen, mit denen sich Lucija Mrzljak und Morten Tšinakov als aufstrebende Talent des Animationsfilms profilieren, bewegt sich erneut am Rande emotionaler und esoterischer Abgründe. In diese taumeln die Charaktere, wenn ihre vom Kino abgeguckte Theatralik auf die profanen Probleme ihres Kleinbürger-Kosmos prallt. Die an naive Malerei erinnernde Optik verstärkt den Kontrast der sarkastischen Szenarien zur inhärenten Ernsthaftigkeit des narrativen Kontexts und verknüpft derart psychologische Parabeln mit bitterbösem Spott über bürgerliche Heuchelei.“
review by Lida Bach for moviebreak.de
„Eeva heads to the Berlinale after premiering at Tallinn Black Nights back in November. The film is a 2d animated short from Estonia and Croatia that takes place at a rainy funeral where its titular protagonist endures the saddest day of her life after suddenly becoming a widow.“
review on CARTOON BREW
„Starting from the European North, we find the 2D ‚Eeva‘ by Morten Tšinakov and Lucija Mrzljak. The duo has crafted quirky and pertinent animation films before, like ‚A Demonstration of Brilliance in Four Acts‘ (2015), and ‚The Stork‘ (2018). Their new film, ‚Eeva‘ (production: Joonis Film & Adriatic Animation), which world premiered at PÖFF Shorts, is another black comedy that will have its International Premiere at the Berlinale.“
review on ZIPPY FRAMES
Berlinale Shorts 