A small round object floats through an abstract space filled with inky shapes and narrow passages. The object must overcome all sorts of obstacles before it can make its way out of the labyrinth and into freedom.

Blending painting’s logic of line and color with musical movement, Michaël Dudok de Wit’s serene short is reminiscent of early cinema’s artful experiments. Infusing watercolor swirls and streaks with grace, it also steeps its protagonist—just a dot on the screen!—in ineffable purpose and vitality.