The Surprised Watchman

Absurdity is closer than it seems.

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2025

Animation

Overview

At the border between the earthly and the otherworldly sits an old watchman, observing a fly. His thoughts are interrupted by a strange young man who asks, “How do I get to heaven?” What follows is an absurd, at times comical and unsettling dialogue filled with mistrust and irony. The watchman, bound by routine, faces something beyond logic. The young man, without a ticket but full of conviction, insists heaven awaits him. In the quiet, mysterious ending, the young man vanishes, leaving only a white feather — and a question: what was that? A short animated parable about boundaries, misunderstanding, and the mystery of crossing worlds, with absurdist humor in the spirit of Kharms or Kafka.

Directed by Michael Reichel Dudov