A Brief History of Us

One of the highlights of this strange and unsettling year, for me, was the premiere of A Brief History of Us, an animated short film that has been screened at four international festivals so far. The film is based on my short story, “Evolution of a Breakup,” which appeared in my collection, Fly Already.

My artistic partner in the film, the gifted animator Ofra Kobliner, as well as the devoted film producers, Mateusz Michalak and Hamutal Gur, invested three years of hard work to make sure we completed this emotional and slightly loopy film. I wish I could share it with you, but as long as it’s on the festival circuit I can’t post it online. Meanwhile, here’s a preview of Molly Ringwald reading the story, from the film’s moving voiceover. I am grateful to Molly, who, with her characteristic enthusiasm and generosity, volunteered for the project and managed to make the story feel so alive.

I hope to be able to show you the film itself in a few months, but until then, big thanks to Ofra, Molly and all the other tenacious people who helped abate my loneliness through the most isolated years in history.

Illustration by Ofra Kobliner

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Housekeeping Note:

The Friday “Alphabet Soup” posts have traditionally been open to paying subscribers only. But given how incredible Molly’s narration is, I didn’t have the heart to prevent other readers from hearing it. Still, this is a good opportunity to remind everyone that over the past several months I’ve written many new pieces that non-paying subscribers haven’t been able to read. I’m about to launch a new feature, “Alternative Fun Facts,” which is one of the most enjoyable things I’ve written in years, and if you’re not a paying subscriber, you’ll be missing out! So, if you have five bucks to spare, I’d be thrilled if you chose to risk it on a monthly subscription. I confess that I have two agendas here: first, to keep the newsletter running, and second, to reach more readers with all the new stuff I’m penning for my paying subscribers.

Translated by Jessica Cohen