A group of refugees — families with children, elderly grandparents, wounded soldiers — make their way through a dark underground tunnel, fleeing the war that has destroyed their city above. Among them is a young boy who clutches a toy car, the only possession he was able to save. In the darkness, every sound could mean salvation or capture.
Editorial Perspective
Andre Ovredal’s The Tunnel uses animation to portray the refugee experience with a visceral immediacy that live action might soften. The darkness of the tunnel is nearly total — figures emerge from shadow only to sink back into it — creating a claustrophobic atmosphere that mirrors the characters’ psychological state. The child’s perspective anchors the film emotionally, his toy car becoming a talisman of the normal life that has been ripped away.
Where to Watch
Available through Norwegian Film Institute distribution and select animation festival platforms.
Historical data reconstructed from archive.org snapshots of the Manhattan Short Film Festival website.
