‘Blush’ is a Wondrous Tale of Unexpected Love and Earthly Grief

A particularly warm glow radiates from Joe Mateo’s Blush, and that’s an impressive feat considering it takes place in the dark vastness of space. I was not prepared for the emotional punch that this 14 minute short would deliver. It’s earnest in that way you are caught off guard by your own feelings when you fall in love.

Blush is a wordless short about a space horticulturalist who finds himself landing on a deserted swarf planet until he meets another space traveler. He looks like a traditional astronaut–with his dome helmet and space suit–but she is more ethereal. Her flat, pink hair hangs down the sides of her face and she seems to float across the surface. Eventually they fall in love and the planet flourishes. Love is the most powerful force in the world.

Mateo’s film will ignite something inside you. In under fifteen minutes, he is able to tell such an effective story and a surprisingly relatable one. We live, love, and lose our loved ones, so while Blush takes place on a distant planet, its themes are deeply felt. Blush is luminous.

Apple TV+ earned its first Oscar nomination for Animated Feature for the gorgeous Wolfwalkers. Mateo could very well find his short in contention with how emotionally resonant this film is.

Blush debuts on Apple TV+ on October 1.