In Victorian Dublin, a post-mortem photographer receives his latest subject, a recently deceased young woman. “Memento Mori” means “Remember Death,” and this night and this encounter with the dead young woman will be unforgettable.
In “Memento Mori,” Henry Huxley (Mark Gatiss) is a post-mortem photographer in Victorian Dublin whose latest subject alters his perception. While propping the cadaver up, Huxley describes his various methods for getting the perfect shot and easily dissociates while sharing close-quarters with the deceased. Huxley has recently upgraded his office to the latest technology: electricity. Shot after shot, the photographer’s stiff subject continues to be blurred in the developed pictures. Huxley chalks this up to typical post-Mortem effects like twitching – anything but the supernatural playing a hand.
This short film was directed by Paul O’Flanagan and co-written by Laura O’Flanagan (who co-stars). With handcrafted Gothic Victorian animation, it resembles the illustrations in Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s masterful “From Hell.” The story is creepy and touching, like a classic M.R. James ghost tale. I’d love to see this talented duo of filmmakers make another short or ideally a feature-length animation.
“Memento Mori” played at the London International Animation Festival,
the Austin Film Festival, at Spark Animation, and at the Foyle Film Festival
