Harvie Krumpet

An unlucky little clay man, Harvie Krumpet, and the movie to which he donates his name, represents the best that storytelling has to offer. First of all, this movie is funny. From the slightly random fact that Harvie’s real name is Harvek Milos Krumpetzki to the downright ridiculous events of his unfortunate life, Harvie’s life epitomizes simple humor. And Geoffrey Rush, who the filmmakers rightly claim is the Godfather of Australian Film, expertly narrates the tale with just the right balance of sincerity and irony to make every scene even funnier.

Second, the story is poignant. Harvie is born desperately poor. Then he becomes a refugee to Australia during World War II. He had Tourette’s syndrome, gets struck by lightening, loses a testicle (I forget how – I haven’t seen the movie in four years), and eventually gets Alzheimer’s. And yet, Harvie remains simple and optimistic. A perfect example of enjoying the simplest pleasures of life even in the face of a life others might regret or complain about, Harvie plods along in his life, armed with a book of Fakts (another source of funny lines) and unending good nature. He gets married, adopts and raises a thalidomide baby, works for animal rights and even in his old age become a nudist. (And let's just say that this being claymation makes this a lot more funny than if this were a live action short.)

Last, this story is airtight. At only 23 minutes, this movie chronicles Harvie’s whole life, from birth to death, and somehow seems to get plenty of story in. Not a line is wasted, and every detail – visual or otherwise – is there for a reason. It’s enough to make me angry that it’s almost impossible to find a place that shows or sells movie shorts (there appears to have been no American DVD release). But if Harvie Krumpet didn’t complain about his life, I suppose I can’t complain too much. After all, I caught this short almost by accident back when I lived in Chicago, so really my luck is much, much better than Harvie’s.