Jibaro, The Emmy-Nominated Animated Short I Can’t Stop Watching

The Emmy nominations were announced this week and, as someone who loves a well-written TV show, I was thrilled that my latest TV obsession, Succession, got nominated for a bunch of awards.

But I have to admit I have another obsession; an episode of a Netflix show that I cannot stop watching. Really, I think I’ve watched it eight times now and I will probably watch it eight more. And it also just got nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Short Form Animation category.

It's an episode of the Love, Death + Robots series on Netflix and it’s called “Jibaro.”

And I Cannot. Stop. Watching. It.

The animation and visuals are mesmerizing. The way the characters move is stunning. The storytelling is impressive and made even more remarkable by the fact that not a word of dialogue is uttered, which means the use of sound, often overlooked, is so well-executed. It is a work of art.

Now, you may be thinking, that’s nice, Teresa, but what do you know about animation? Well, in a past life, I was a motion graphics/VFX producer and, while it has been a while, I know exactly how difficult it had to be to create this piece.

What I found even more compelling was what I believe to be the meaning behind it. The director, Alberto Mielgo, has apparently said that it is open to interpretation and that, in keeping with the theme of Love, Death + Robots, it is about a kind of toxic love. But I think it’s hard to miss that this toxic relationship revolves around colonialism, and the greed and the damage and the enduring pain that comes along with it.

I’m not going to summarize the characters and story for you. I’m not going to explain the visuals. I have not included imagery because, while I know a lot of other bloggers do it, I don’t have the license to use that imagery (but the drawing I used at the top of the post reminds me of a character). But also, I think all the best art is meant for the viewer to interpret, and I want everyone to get the same opportunity I did: to see it without any previous idea of what it is.

So, go watch the Love, Death + Robots episode of “Jibaro” on Netflix. I promise that you’ll get to see something that is beautiful and yet painful to watch.

And, when it comes to Emmy-Nominated TV shows you maybe haven’t heard about…

Stay Curious (and maybe watch Succession too).