For those of us who have regularly traveled through airports, the process of checking in—and checking bags—always seems undergirded by latent anxiety. What if a suitcase gets routed onto the wrong plane or never arrives? What if it falls open or gets searched? For filmmaker Lucy Davidson, it’s not so much about the luggage as it is about what we stuff inside.
As a recent student of Aardman Academy, which is operated by its Academy Award-winning namesake animation studio, Davidson tapped into not only the universal experiences of travel but a playful exploration of the multiple meanings of “baggage.” In her stop-animation short, aptly titled “Baggage,” we follow a trio of women, who are incidentally also suitcases, heading on a trip.
Davidson’s charming black-and-white narrative leads us on a brief yet powerful voyage through human emotions, especially the spectrum of feelings we associate with self-confidence, past experiences, and relationships. “Three girlfriends check in their baggage at the airport, but one is carrying a little more than the others,” the film’s tagline goes. “As they travel along the conveyor belt to security, can she hide what’s inside?”
This year, Davidson’s animation was an official selection at the SXSW Film & TV Festival and a finalist at the Sydney Film Festival. See more on the film’s website, and discover more of the filmmaker’s work on her site, Vimeo, and Instagram.
