At the equator, the Earth rotates at a rate of about 1670km/h; it’s a bit slower for those of us farther north, but still tremendously fast. As long as you’re rooted to it, you won’t notice. But if you start to become untethered, well.

Dan Ojari’s Slow Derek perfectly renders that disconnection. It’s a mood piece more than anything, aiming for ennui, or awe (it can be surprisingly hard to tell the difference sometimes) instead of any traditional narrative, but it doesn’t come across as indulgent. It helps that Ojari’s technique is absolutely masterful—the frenetic editing in the train sequence, the pure momentum of the tumble through the woods, the moodiness and naturalism of the lighting, none of these are easy to pull off in stop-motion and Slow Derek doesn’t make a misstep. A simple, striking metaphor, executed with skill; there’s not much more you could ask for from a short.