I've always imagined the post-apocalypse to be a rather fun time. Separated by nuclear flash from the aspects of civilization that annoy me -- for example, groups who walk exactly parallel to one another and refuse to let me pass -- my inner id would have all the room it needed to become the warrior I always knew I could be. In the radiated desert wastes, I pictured myself riding a motorcycle, rescuing tatterdemalion babes from zombies, and wielding a shotgun. It would be awesome.

Or perhaps not. This eerie and heartbreaking CGI short from France, Replay, offers a quieter and more poignant look at the horrors of post-nuclear survival. When a scavenging mother brings a tape of children's laughter back to her isolated little boy, he leaves the fallout shelter in an attempt to find them. This is just a truly wonderful piece of work.

Replay [YouTube]