Plot (SPOILERS)
This short is a compilation of scenes showing different
characters acting on impulse. Thus, I have separated the plot according to some
of its distinct scenes:
Scene 1 – A few
people are standing in line for the ATM. The man at the back of the line leans toward
the man in front of him, buries his face in his long hair and smells him.
Scene 4 – A woman
is riding on the public bus. The man in front of her is on the phone, laughing
loudly. The woman slowly reaches out and smacks the phone out of his hand.
Scene 6 – A woman is
having trouble with her desktop and throws the monitor out the window.
Scene 8 – A man
kicks a stroller with a baby in it down the sidewalk.
Scene 9 – A
restaurant server throws a plate of spaghetti at a customer’s face.
Scene 11 – A
chaotic scene shows a man break a shop window while two people fight
on the street.
Scene 12 (Finale) –
A woman has just missed the bus. She looks at the people waiting at the bus
stop before throwing down her grocery bags and laying down on the sidewalk. Another
person waiting at the bus stop decides to lay down too.
Let’s Talk About It
This short film gave us a glimpse of what our world could
turn into if people began giving into their impulses. It started innocently
enough with a man smelling a stranger’s hair and then quickly escalated to more
serious and violent acts.
People began to perform acts that may have been liberating
but also destructive (of both property and reputation). This is because
impulsivity is not bound by shame or self-consciousness. It isn’t afraid of what
others might think. It doesn’t consider the consequences that may result. It is
selfish. It is unreasonable.
… But is it bad? Always?
As someone who struggles with intense shyness I often find
myself relying on impulsivity for courage. It is that strong and brief sense of
urgency that makes it possible for me to initiate difficult conversations or make
an impactful decision. If I wait for that impulsive moment to pass, as I often
have, I have missed that opportunity forever. This is not to say that I think
acting on impulse is a good thing every time (as we have seen in “Enough” it most
certainly isn’t). But I believe that when used as a source of bravery, impulsivity
can be a remarkable thing.
My Critique
At almost two-and-a-half minutes, “Enough” is the shortest
animated short film I have reviewed but is a good example of quality over quantity.
It had no dialogue, used few props, and had simple settings but was very entertaining
to watch.
Although this short had some dark content, its character design
made it easy to watch and achieved in making some of its scenes humorous. These
Muppet-like characters had a fuzzy texture, round bodies and small eyes that
made them look rather adorable so it was interesting to see them do violent and
dangerous things. This design, coupled with the realism of stop motion
animation, helped to deliver the shocking punchlines in each scene.
The music began at the closing of the third scene and
sounded like the kind of music you’d hear during an end-of-the-world movie: a
sad and lonely hum that signals “The End.” This created a sense of disappointment
toward this Muppet-like humanity for giving into their impulses to harm those
around them. The music ends right as the last scene begins which I think was
done to allow us to appreciate the humor of this final harmless scene.
I had a fun time watching “Enough.” From the moment I saw
the first character smell another man’s hair I was hooked and looked forward to
the punchline in each scene. I appreciated the humor as well as the seriousness
of each situation and even found myself relating to some of these characters. My key takeaway from this short:
Impulsivity is a powerful tool that, if left unrestrained, can drive our world
to chaos. Use it carefully.
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