26/12/2025 - Krste Gospodinovski’s stop-motion short captures the mood of cinema's silent-to-sound transition through an elaborately crafted lens

There was a time when cinema evolved: in the late 1920s, the art of the motion picture was no longer determined by image as much as by sound. In North Macedonian filmmaker Krste Gospodinovski’s stop-motion short Silent Cinema, screened in competition at Animateka in Ljubljana, a nameless projectionist’s son shares the sense of grief of this historic moment through the fading glory of their movie-house. 

This transition era has always been fertile ground for nostalgic homages to silent film, to the extent that it is now difficult to find anything fresh to say. As a result, Silent Cinema (adapted from co-writer Dimitar Dimoski’s short story of the same name) abounds in clichés and overused references: the narrator’s father is a faded movie star, and a number of scenes strongly recall Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso (1988).

Various silent-era comedy legends – notably, Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin – make cameo appearances, disguised among the audience. The father’s past movie roles projected on the silver screen somewhat resemble those of Douglas Fairbanks (The Mark of Zorro, etc.). And whereas silent films were accompanied by live piano music, Gospodinovski's short features a somewhat monotonous voiceover by the youthful protagonist.

What really makes Silent Cinema stand out is its ambition: during its 17-minute length, the frame continuously moves, following the narrator, simulating an elaborate long take. In stop-motion, camera movements of such complexity almost never occur due to their extreme technical difficulty.

Nonetheless – with almost imperceptible imperfections – Gospodinovski pulls off the desired dynamic effect. The fluidity of the camera's POV, which seamlessly enters into vehicles and passes through walls, is never broken by a clear cut.

The very nature of stop-motion animation asks the question whether Silent Cinema can be described as "one-take" at all. Cinema is a sequence of frames captured in rapid succession; stop-motion achieves that effect through a much more tedious and protracted shooting time.

Normally, the form of a film cannot entirely make up for the flaws of its content. In the case of Silent Cinema, the sheer dedication of such an endeavour makes up for any flaws in the theme.