The Missing Scarf (2013)

The Missing Scarf Review

The Missing Scarf is a 2013 animated short film directed by Eoin Duffy. It’s a very existential black comedy.

The movie explores some of life’s common fears: fear of the unknown, of failure, rejection and finally the fear of death. I did not quite love the ending as it was overly abrupt and ambiguous, but the film was largely effective at conveying the existential dread of human existence, especially to those of us who have these feelings often, such as myself. I found the mixture of ironic and optimistic the right choice for this type of story, though a bigger message was absent here.

The animation is rather weak. It’s minimalist to a fault. The squirrel looked too triangular and the bear was also rough. The background work is even more minimalist. I eventually did become accustomed to it, but still this is the type of animated short that is best seen for its ideas instead of its visuals. But the editing was fantastic and quite brisk, leading to an emotional whiplash achieved on the viewer. I also really liked the two characters and their differing philosophies on life. The humor is terrific too with that line – “Said the bear” – being absolutely hilarious. George Takei’s narration was also superb.

The Missing Scarf is not the most visually sumptuous animated short, but its existentialist ideas are worth examining as the film is quite deep while also being tonally diverse.

My Rating – 4.1