Red Folder, The

We meet our narrator in the first grade, where the teacher hands out folders to each student for the purpose of collecting their work assignments—correctly finished ones in one pocket, and those containing errors in the other. As our hero struggles to overcome a persistent spelling glitch impeding successful completion of the tasks, however, the inanimate agents of his humiliation begin to verbally chastise him for his imperfections.

Well, haven't you ever suspected a car's ignition, baseball's trajectory or Smartphone's signal of deliberately mocking your efforts at advancement? Even the most hard-headed realist can succumb to anthropomorphistic impulse when confronted with cosmologic obstruction. Rajiv Joseph's ten-minute animated fable, composed of line drawings in the style of the late Shel Silverstein, is not a cheap blueprint for a school shooting, but a possibly-autobiographical lesson in overcoming insecurities (or minimizing the lasting damage engendered thereby).

The results are such a perfect teaching tool for children that it's a shame that the video is accessible only as part of Steppenwolf's Virtual Season package. To be sure, teachers and students are granted a discount reducing the subscription fee from $75 to $50, but you'll have to wait until after August before single-tickets are available.