Welcome back to another Letterboxd Lists review! This week we are going to look at short films. More specifically, we’ll be looking at the Letterboxd’s Top 250 Highest Rated Short Films of All-Time and as of this writing, the 178th ranked film on that list with…Harvie Krumpet (2003).
Title: Harvie Krumpet
Director: Adam Elliot
Released: June 19, 2003 (France – Annecy International Animated Film Festival)
Runtime: 22 minutes
Available to stream on: Tubi
Harvie Krumpet, born Harvek Milos Krumpetzki, entered the world “upside down and back to front.” He was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome early in life. As a result, his classmates frequently harassed and bullied him.
Not one to let her child be subject to bullying, his mother pulls him from school and decides to homeschool him. While she may be illiterate, Harvie’s mother knows plenty of “fakts”. In fact, Harvie makes sure to write each one down and carry them around his neck.
However, Harvie’s world turns upside down after his home burns down and his parents freeze to death. With nowhere to go, Harvek Krumpetzki migrates to Australia and becomes Harvie Krumpet.
Unfortunately for Harvie, his new home has just as many problems waiting for him. As a result of taking a punch, Harvie’s skull is split in half. After his recovery, as if things couldn’t get worse, lightning strikes Harvie while he collects golf balls.
No matter what happens to him, Harvie Krumpet manages to keep on going. But how does he do it?
Prior to viewing this, I was somewhat familiar with Adam Elliot’s work. While I haven’t seen Mary and Max, yet, I did write a review earlier this year on his other feature, Memoir of a Snail. So I at least had some sort of an idea as to what to expect going into Harvie Krumpet (2003). If nothing else, I knew I’d love his style of stop motion animation.
There’s a whole lot of message packed into a short 22 minute runtime.
Sometimes life is just unexplainably cruel to certain people. However, Harvie shows us that no matter how bad things might seem, life is what you make it. As long as you can find joy in the little things, the big things won’t seem so bad.
Seeing as Harvie Krumpet (2003) is streaming on Tubi, where you don’t need a subscription, there’s no reason for you to not check this one out. It is absolutely worth 22 minutes of your day.
So, have you seen Harvie Krumpet (2003)?
If you have, I want to hear what you thought of it! Leave a comment below or reach out to me on Bluesky!
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