The Cord
is a 2019 Ukrainian short film by Olexandr Bubnov about a mother and her son, who she still has attached to her with his umbilical cord.
Tropes for The Cord
- Book Ends: The short began with the Son resting on the Mother's chest when he's born and the short ends with an elderly Mother resting on her Son's chest before Death takes her away. The film also begins and ends with screaming and crying
- Disappeared Dad: We don't meet, see, or hear about the Son's father, though we can guess his absence certainly plays a part into why the Mother is the way she is with her son.
- First Gray Hair: The Mother, while brushing her hair, notices this and gets a little bit of angst over it.
- Homeschooled Kids: The Son, from what's implied, becomes this, after he's bullied at school.
- Kids Are Cruel: The Son gets picked on when he's first old enough to go to school.
- Living Emotional Crutch: Eventually, Mother and Son become each other's, especially after the latter shies away from a man that showed interest in her and after the Son gets bullied in school.
- Luminescent Blush: The Son's entire face turns red when his mother angrily shoos away the girl from the stand.
- Mime and Music-Only Cartoon: The short of mostly told without dialogue, though the Mother does speak more clearly when she's cursing at the principal at the school.
- My Beloved Smother: The Mother. This is more or less represented with the titular cord as she uses it like a leash, at first to keep him safe and out of trouble but, later, to keep him close, even keeping him from having a relationship . Later on, this trope is deconstructed, when the Mother dies and the Son doesn't know what to do.
- No Name Given: Neither the Mother nor Son have names.
- The One That Got Away: The Mother pulls the Son away from chatting with a redheaded young woman. Years later, he sees the woman with a husband and family of her own, and he appears distraught.
- Rule of Symbolism: The Son's screams turning into baby cries can be taken to represent how he's helpless without his mother.
- Screaming Birth: Downplayed but the Mother is screaming as she gives birth to her Son.
- Splash of Color: The short is mostly black and white with some things being colored.
- Textile Work Is Feminine: Played with, as the Mother is a seamstress and is shown knitting. Later, she teaches her Son how to knit and sew.
