There’s nothing more frustrating than watching a movie that just begs for some “Making Of” featurette or extended “Behind The Scenes” footage on the DVD, only to discover that said “Behind The Scenes” footage is merely a half-assed couple of minutes of completely random footage with no explanation, dialog, or commentary whatsoever. That’s the case with Strings, and here’s why it’s so frustrating. The movie is a fantasy epic about the futility of war and bigotry, with supposed parallels to the current “War On Terror”, and it’s all done with—you guessed it—puppets. Or, to be more precise, marionettes.
The movie opens, not with the puppets themselves, as you might expect, but with the puppeteers getting into position, setting the stage, etc. It then cuts to a shot of the current ruler of the kingdom of Hebalon gazing forlornly to the sky, perhaps seeking some sort of guidance or wisdom from his “gods”. It’s an interesting transition, immediately raising questions about fate, destiny, etc.
But no answer seems to be forthcoming, as the king writes a painful note to his son before committing suicide. Overcome by grief at the hatred and war that has resulted from his reign, he opens the way for his son, Hal Tara, to lead Hebalon to better future. However, the king’s evil brother Nezo, intercepts the king’s letter and hides the truth. Instead, he claims that Hebalon’s ancient enemies, the Zeriths, have killed the king. Outraged, Hal Tara vows revenge and sets off to track down the Zeriths, leaving the throne in Nezo’s hands.
Nezo assumes the throne and issues martial law, all the while spurring Hebalon towards greater levels of hatred and military might in order to strengthen his authority. Meanwhile, Hal continues his quest, blind to the fact that his uncle is using him to conceal the truth about his father, and, unbeknownst to all, a greater and more insidious truth about Hebalon and its relationship with the Zeriths.
So what about those supposed parallels that some are drawing between Strings and the “War On Terror”? Well, if you choose to look at it that way, a few might include: the man in charge achieves his position through dubious means, including fraud and deception, with the help of his cronies. He then proceeds to wage a war based on lies as a smokescreen to hide his dubious actions while building up Hebalon’s military-industrial complex (and promoting his cohorts within) and stripping away the rights of its citizens. Or something like that.
Fortunately, even if you’re ultra-hawkish neo-con, it’s easy to completely ignore that particular analysis and focus on the story itself, which adheres to the same sort of darkly fantastical storytelling that movies like The Dark Crystal have. Strings is incredibly stylish, and the puppeteering on display is quite incredible. What’s most amazing is the way the movie handles the puppets’ strings—not by ignoring them, but rather, treating them as a reality of the puppets’ existence.
In this world, everything revolves around the puppets’ strings. They determine how the puppets “heal” themselves, give birth, construct their buildings, and inter their prisoners. This treatment makes the puppets’ plights all the more precarious. Their lives literally hang by a thread, a point that is driven home quite powerfully with one particular scene near the movie’s end. And the climactic battle, which finds the warriors burning eachother’s strings as a last resort, becomes surprisingly hellish and disturbing.
Strings suffers from some odd pacing problems. I found myself wishing that certain scenes or events were extended and fleshed out a bit more, especially during some of the more mystical passages. And though the emphasis on the puppets’ strings might’ve made for some interesting ruminations on fate and free will—the puppets seem to have struck a balance between the limitations of their strings, and using those same strings for amazing feats—the movie unfortunately delves instead into the sort of mawkish “we are all connected” sentimentality that’s been played out so many times already.
This really is a pretty marvelous little film, and the amount of thought and ingenuity that went into it is quite amazing (especially when you learn that it took four years to make). It makes one wish the DVD had been fleshed out more, and featured the original Danish language track. (The English dub is adequate, but the whole time, I kept seeing Orlando Bloom’s face everytime Hal spoke, even though James McAvoy did the voice.)
If I ever have kids, Strings is the sort of movie that I would love to watch with them (once they’re a little older, of course). It presents a wonderful and magical world while at the same time, communicating deep, challenging messages about war and the consequences of hatred. In other words, Strings is the sort of the movie that, if I’d seen it as a youngster, would’ve set my head spinning and my imagination ablaze.
String’s official website can be found here, while it’s IMDb listing is here. Twitch’s review can be found here.
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