Film
Birth Controlled
The animation is ugly, intrusive and uncomfortable - and that's the point. Isa Fraga-Abaza's short film about the way our patriarchal society treats, objectifies and dehumanizes vaginas is in-your-face in the best way possible, forcing the viewer to confront the discomfort that the topic of the film very much should generate. And all this achieved while interlacing little moments of humor to help you through - what isn't there to applaud?
- Nor García Grau
Percebes
With visuals as beautifully poetic as its script, a straightforward story that is also rich in subtext, Percebes brings to the forefront the important discussion of overtourism via the humane route of focusing on the actual citizens of Algarve - all while taking us through the life cycle of the title's goose barnacle in a way that interlaces visuals and narrative seamlessly.
- Nor García Grau
Larval
Alice Bloomfield delivers an 'ugly duckling'-esque tale through the motif of moths. Many people, young women especially, are told that when they grow up they will become a beautiful butterfly, when young people have celebrities to compare themselves to, however, this can be incredibly damaging. Bloomfield showcases this comparison beautifully with the animation, the faces of the characters appear to be moth-like. The protagonist finds out that even when you look like the celebrities that people compare themselves to, it doesn't make everything in your life magically better, her unrequited crush still ignores her and her life is still a bland mess.
- Jett Christie
Have I Swallowed Your Dreams
This animated short from Clara Chan showcases the guilt that children can feel for "taking away" their mothers freedom. It is something that almost everyone has felt for their mother, knowing about the life that she could have had if you weren't there needing to be looked after constantly. Seeing the perspective of the mother and her views that she hadn't had her dreams taken away, only that they had been changed and grown with the birth of her daughter, was beautifully heartbreaking to hear.
- Jett Christie
There Will Be No Other End
The simple style of the animation manages to completely de-personalise the characters and the world, making it able to create these social commentaries it explores in a way that feels like a commentary of its own. The father rushing to hospital to hold the child as soon as its born and having everyone cheer for him, whilst the mother is left alone, shows the fact that fathers are often celebrated for the child that they didn't carry and give birth to. The short does this in a way that is incredibly funny yet also hard-cutting social commentary. The overarching message of the film is that idiots are in charge of the world.
- Jett Christie
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