Short films should by no means be seen as inferior to feature length films by any means at all. Taking aside the fact that a stinker can be of any duration, short films have frequently represented a kind of testing ground for filmmakers (whether amateurs or auteurs) to try new ideas or even experiment with different techniques.

A common misconception might be that, given the reduced length of a short film, some concepts are difficult to be fully explored in around 10 minutes. Nevertheless, in If Anything happens I Love You, Will McCormack and Michael Govier -both co-directors and co-writers- have successfully crafted a little gem that will stay with you way after you have seen it.

McCormack and Govier are by no means limited by a runtime of less than 12 minutes, relying on a minimalistic visual style and a complete lack of dialogue to successfully convey its message in a way that avoids an excessive sentimentalism, despite dealing with topics as serious as the devastating loss of a loved one and the consequences of grief which can have been explored in films as varied as Up!, A Ghost Story, Manchester by the Sea and Rabbit Hole.

Furthermore, despite the fact that the loss in If Anything Happens I Love You comes as a direct consequence of the aftermath of a school shooting -an issue that seems to be as difficult to stop as it is destructive-, it is never exploited, just included in the story in a way that manages to be both respectful and poignant, thus allowing this short to be shown to a larger audience who can discover and appreciate it.

Despite an apparent austere and simple style, the visual imagery that impregnates the screen helps both McCormack and Govier to explore loss and love in an effective and subtle manner. On the one hand with a more symbolic approach (i.e. the shadows in the background, or the dead flowers); and on the other, in a more natural and realistic way (e.g. the blue t-shirt, the stain on the wall or the parents sitting at opposite ends of the table -indicating the growing distance between them in a way that reminded me of Citizen Kane-).

It must be said that If Anything Happens I Love You -executive produced by Laura Dern-, is highly recommendable not only to film enthusiasts, but to everybody, since its central theme of love and the exploration of the impact of losing a loved one are portrayed in a way that manages to pack a bigger emotional punch for its audience than a large number of films achieve with runtimes ten times superior than the length of this animated short.