Reel 13

Have to Get Back Down There

This short is a documentary about a recovering drug addict that is presented in a very interesting way. The story is shown through animation. Stick Figure cartoons represent the man and the people around him in his story of how he gave up drugs and how he is still working to fully get rid of them. This technique allows the story to be much more interesting than if it simply showed the man telling his story.

The film's one weakness is also a strength in some respects. The quality of the animation is very weak. The people are poorly drawn stick figures, but that is not totally bad in this case. It represents a simplicity which comes into play with telling the story. The man's story is not a complicated one, but rather a very simple one, which doesn't detract from the emotion that is felt for the man's unfortunate situation.

This short uses an interesting symbol in the form of waving pink lines in order to represent the man's drug addiction. When he leaves New York City behind, he leaves the drugs with it, but when he gets into an accident, the addiction returns along with the pink lines. This symbol would seem out of place in a live action movie, but in animation it totally works.

The movie ends by referencing the title, which shows the man's motivation to get off of drugs. He has a daughter down in Florida, and he knows he can get off of drugs because he needs to see his daughter, and that is more than enough incentive to kick the habit.