The Conversations We Can't Have

Even though they never met in real life, M2 and Sefír developed a friendship through messaging on Discord – a connection that, over the years, changed M2’s life, but later came to an abrupt halt.

One year on from their last conversation, Sefír appears before M2 in person. They discuss Brazilian culture, politics, jazz music, Satoshi Kon films and the future, but M2’s unease grows as it dawns on him that Sefír is no more than a memory within a fever dream.

A reflection and commemoration of a real-life friendship and the acceptance of its loss, The Conversations We Can’t Have illustrates what we might say if we had another chance.

Warning: Contains coarse language

Director bio:

Guthrow Taylor Johnson is a queer artist and animator based in Naarm/Melbourne. He brings a unique worldly and political view to his work, leaning heavily on his experiences in activism, world travels and American-Australian heritage. Inspired by his relationships formed while studying at The University of Melbourne as well as connections made abroad, he hopes to create artworks in which style, colour, fluidity and texture change depending on the tone and mood of the narrative. He is also inspired by a wide range of artists and storytellers, including Henri Matisse, Alberto Mielgo, Isao Takahata and Satoshi Kon. Often combining multiple mediums, he’s unafraid to experiment in different disciplines and call on his painterly background to best advance and emphasise the narrative. From modelling on Maya and line-working on TVPaint to using more unconventional mediums such as TouchDesigner or paint-on-glass techniques, he is multi-disciplinary, ambitious, adaptive and always pushing himself narratively and improving on his technical skill.

Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)