City Paradise

“When a traveller arrives in London from Tokyo, everything sounds as if it’s gibberish. "Tomoko" makes her way to her apartment where her English for beginners tape seems overly focussed on the weather! She’s a would-be scuba-diver, but her visit to the local pool for lessons sees her suffer from an accident that takes her to an whole new world and then return her with some useful new skills! Now, first things first. Just where, exactly, is her flat? It looks like a damp and dingy bedsit but has million pound views up the Thames that I’m not sure actually exist. Thereafter, though, this is quite an engaging look at how (unintentionally) unwelcoming new places can be when you don’t speak the lingo. I loved the grainy, slightly abstract, style of the animation and I could have sworn it was Bjork singing at the end?”