Aaron Hughes’ animated “Five Cents” tells the story of a consumer being overwhelmed by the constant need for money. We can all relate to that. Whether making a film, buying a house, planning a wedding, or getting weekly groceries for the family, costs become overwhelming, and with inflation on the rise in just about every walk of life, now is the perfect time for Hughes’ humorous and profound film to be viewed as a kind of slice-of-life commentary. Whatever this character’s name or occupation, it’s all of us, our whole lives. The boxy-looking protagonist here first needs glasses. Once the glasses are put on, the world becomes a constant barrage of stock reports, graph paper and Wall Street Journal articles moving at a rapid-fire pace (also, once the glasses are put on, it looks almost like a human version of WALL-E crossed with Mummenschanz). This new setting feels like being caught in a downpour of financial gobbledygook that now there is a need for an umbrella. Someone else walks by with a mirror, admiring themselves with it (an antiquated selfie?). Looks like fun. Gotta have one. Costs go up, but the rain doesn’t stop. And so on. “Five Cents” has
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Short Films in Focus: Five Cents | Features | Roger Ebert
