Review of Canvas

WRITTEN BY NANA AMA ASARE-KWAAH

Canvas is a nine minute animated short film released in 2020. The director, Frank E. Abney III, was also an executive producer of the 2019 short film Hair Love. Both Hair Love and Canvas are part of the Representation Matters collection. Canvas is a story that deals with grief, loss, and the importance of family. Though there was no dialogue throughout the film, the point was incredibly poignant. After losing his wife, a painter has lost his passion for art and it is granddaughter who helps him rediscover his inspiration. While the story of Canvas was heartwarming, what really resonated with me was its representation. I absolutely adore Hair Love. It made me cry when I watched it and Canvas did too. As a black girl, when I was younger, and even now, I didn’t see a ton of black characters who really looked like me. I didn’t see a ton of main characters who were black. And when I did see black characters in animation, the design always had at least some element of Eurocentric standards. Whether it was always straightening the hair, black characters rarely ever having brown eyes, or giving black characters small noses and thin lips. And on the other side of that spectrum, there was animation where black characters were more caricatures than people. It might not seem like a huge deal to see black characters starring in animated movies but to me, these movies hold a very special place in my heart. It’s incredibly damaging to constantly see only what type of representation is allowed in the media. It makes it feel like the only way the media and the world will accept you is if you fit into this one box. Black girls with light eyes and straight hair and light skin, Asian characters who are only allowed to be smart with pressuring parents, gay characters who are only allowed to be flamboyant, or autistic characters who are only allowed to be savant or not even human. It’s harmful, it’s damaging, and it can destroy your self-image. I can’t even begin to count how many times I hated myself for not being light skinned when I was younger because that was the only thing I really ever saw. I hated my dark skin and dark eyes and dark, curly hair because I felt like it made me lesser- made me ugly. I’ve only just started to rebuild my self-image and self esteem into something I can find comfort in. And films like Canvas, with just casual representation, contribute greatly. Because the media needs more of that- causal representation. Not every black story needs to be about the police, or violence, or racism. Not every disability story needs to be about overcoming their disability. Not every gay story needs to be about coming out. Yes, those are experiences and struggles many people face. But who wants to constantly see characters meant to represent you constantly struggling. Not every diverse story needs to be about suffering. We need more about joy.

Canvas 2020 Frank E. Abney III