By Anna Andersen

When we first meet the protagonist of Tyler W. Moore's second animated feature, “Brimstone Terrace,” public defender Alan Carpenter sits under fluorescent lights with his latest client, half-heartedly trying to convince the man to cover up his swastika tattoo for court. Later, he discusses his depressing job with his brother while they watch “Jeopardy!,” and then he shoots himself.

Alan (voiced by Tori Kamal) wakes up in purgatory, where he soon finds himself on trial for his eternal life. Although infernal counsel Scratch (Matthew J. Lindblom) is surprised and embarrassed when Alan speaks up in his own defense, he's still sent to hell as a matter of procedure. At orientation, a permanently concussed guy named Gary (Moore) explains that it's not so bad: Alan's been sentenced to circle 1 of 7, so it could be worse! The only catch is he needs a place to stay (luckily, Gary says he can crash with him) and a job.

Before he knows it, Satan himself (Jamie Zin) is offering him Scratch's job as a Grim Reaper, advocating on the side of the devil in afterlife trials. It seems like a great gig, until he's confronted with reality: Despite the lack of flames and pitchforks, this is the Christian hell, home to not only suicides but others demonized by dogma that even Satan doesn't agree with. Can Alan condemn people according to the unfair rules that condemned him? What if he could find a better way?

Animation is an immensely time-consuming medium, even for a large studio. Moore animated 99% of “Brimstone Terrace” himself, over three years, and while the art is fairly simple, it's also readable and precise, with a good eye for which pertinent details to include. One early shot, for instance, shows Alan's desk, with the flat manila rectangle of his client's case file and, next to it, a paper cup with cardboard sleeve, the tag of a teabag hanging over the edge, a ring-stained napkin underneath. The backgrounds are often softly shaded with a texture like crayon or colored pencil, and sometimes cut up into Mondrian-like rectangles that provide visual interest without excessive labor. Character movement is somewhat awkward, particularly in full-body animations like walking, but frequent, lively motion of facial features — large oval eyes paired with small, mobile mouths and eyebrows — keeps the movie's dialogue-driven pace from dragging. 

The film's workaday afterlife allows for comic relief, mostly from Gary and his roommate Pete (Jamie Zin), an Aussie painter with a fridge full of cheese who doesn't believe in hell despite being there. Another subplot follows Scratch and his purple-haired girlfriend, Candice (producer Jillian Elaine), reassigned to the prison block of circle 7 and desperately trying to make it back to the top.

Moore's director's statement says that “Brimstone Terrace” “seek(s) to continue breaking the stigma surrounding animation by proving that adult-oriented, thoughtful stories can be told in a medium that is generally seen as childish and unworthy of respect.” To that end, “Brimstone Terrace” raises ambitious questions for any movie and considers them with sensitivity. And Alan's ultimate decision to use his position to fight within an unjust system mirrors his mortal life as a public defender in a satisfying way.

The Details

"Brimstone Terrace"
4:45-6:15 p.m. Friday, October 16 and 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday, October 17 at Boulevard Theatres at Old Town, 353 N. Mead St. in Wichita's Old Town Square

Tickets are $15 plus tax (and a $1.79 fee if you buy online). You can also purchase individual tickets in person at the Tallgrass box office.

Tallgrass pass holders can get into this (and any other festival film) at no additional cost. 

• Watch the trailer for "Brimstone Terrace" and buy a ticket to the program online
• Browse the Tallgrass Film Festival schedule and film guide
• Buy festival passes

More Tallgrass coverage in The SHOUT

Kansas filmmakers shine in shorts program at Tallgrass Film Festival [Emily Christensen]

Anna Andersen co-hosts Your Favorite Bad Movie Podcast with their husband. They have four cats named Brains, Hamburger, Twinkle, and Zazzle.

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