Paradise

[David Morris]

Synopsis:
http://nfb.ca/webextension/paradise/story.php

We are inside a machine. Cogs and gears spin, move, operate, and a
giant automaton whirrs to life, impossibly large; it is a metallic,
mid-century city, whose painted tin denizens buzz happily and
obediently along slotted tracks. This is Paradise.

Here, in a brightly and cheerfully coloured suburban home we meet John
Small. He's an optimistic, ambitious little man dedicated to the
future, to success in his career. John is absorbed in his work and his
daily routine and blissfully oblivious of his lonely and disillusioned
wife, Jane.

As his perfect little life unravels, John remains obstinate and
focused on his goals. But John is misguided in his efforts, unable to
realize the value of what he has and what he stands to lose. Happiness
eludes him.

Paradise tells the story of a man whose actions are controlled by
fate, who is forced to follow a predetermined path. Lacking free will,
John Small looks to a better tomorrow, but fails to find fulfillment
in the present.

Trailer:
http://nfb.ca/webextension/paradise/index.php