How Wings Are Attached to the Backs of Angels

Surreal, bizarre, cryptic, Craig Welch's gothic animated/live action short opens with an attention-getting decapitation, as a head the size of a marble rolls down an elaborate Rube Goldberg device which brings to mind (in a twisted way) the board game "Mouse Trap." In a visually clever segue, the viewer is introduced to a Victorian-looking misogynistic gentleman whose compulsive urge to dominate and manipulate his world backfires when a mysterious, ethereal woman visits his controlled environment. Although the box says the film is suitable for "all ages," the general theme--not to mention a scene in which the man appears to grab the woman's crotch--marks this clearly for older viewers. Highly recommended. C, P. (R. Pitman)