02/07/2023 - An exceptionally original, animated crime story of global consequence in which thousands of little amphibians go missing, much like the culprits

The pure nature of rainforests, full of different species of frogs, has been observed by biologist Karen Lips for several years. When she returns to one particular rainforest after a short visit to her laboratory, she finds that its native frogs have all disappeared. A symphony of diversity is dying away, and Lips can do nothing but stand by and watch it happen. Where have all those exceptionally rare amphibians gone? The rainforest is silent. The scientist tells us that 150–200 species of frogs – including the golden frog and the horned frog - are "missing" and that this has only happened in the last few decades. As she herself puts it: "Nada. Nothing. You can't say for sure that they're gone forever... But where are they?"

The Waiting captivates from the very first moments of its 16 minutes. A German production, it is made by a well-coordinated trio: visual artist, animator and director Volker Schlecht, plus screenwriters/producers Alexander Lahl and Max Mönch. The audience is immersed in the story through Schlecht's nigh-on academic drawing style, which is not merely an aesthetic element, as it might initially seem. His artistic approach in this film is characterised by black lines with accents of colours, and these lines do not disappear but leave behind delicate outlines of previous stages.

This is a continuation of styles deployed by the director in previous films. The artistic stylisation in the animated documentary Broken (2016) carries a symbolic reference to the dark memories of female prisoners, which might fade but never disappear completely. In The Waiting, the line that never fully vanishes might be interpreted as the ghost of endangered frog species which can inexplicably vanish in an instant. Only an outline remains, like a body at a crime scene traced out in chalk.

Schlecht's continual metamorphoses also align beautifully with the developmental stages of frogs. This film does not merely aim to amaze the audience with its visual impact. It also sends an urgent message: frogs have survived the dinosaurs, but will they also survive humans? We can't be sure, but we can definitely care – and lend a hand.