Idiots and Angels

Bill Plympton is an Oscar-nominated animator responsible for dozens of shorts and several features, the most well-known being 2006’s Your Face. Idiots and Angels is a full-length, silent, film noir-ish, animated feature in Plympton’s signature style.

It begins with a despicable man who drinks, ridicules, rapes and kills without a second thought. One morning he wakes to find two growths on his back that sprout into feathery wings. After finally accepting his new appendages, the man chooses to use his new power in corrupt activities. But the wings reveal they have their own moral compass and refuse to be party to his immoral deeds. A hilarious war between man and wings ensues and is only complicated by the crooked desires of others.

Plympton hand drew every frame of film personally. His animation style is rough but enjoyable with the characters’ faces somewhat undefined. The absent dialogue becomes unnecessary based on the imagery and soundtrack by Tom Waits. And although the colours are bland, the emotions are vibrant.

Through this animation, Plympton goes further to break the stereotype that cartoons are for kids. The twisted fairy tale is dark and humorous with numerous mature moments of violence and nudity. While the entire story is comedically warped, the narrative transitions from wickedly light-hearted to sinister to quite disturbed. However, the transition is not based solely on the main character’s evolution but also on those around him as they become blinded by their greed.

Plympton is a skilful storyteller with a slightly sadistic sense of humour and Idiots and Angels is an entertaining expression of both.