Reflective Encounters

“Cheekily named after Thomas De Quincey’s Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, Confessions of an English Ant Eater is an animation that pretty much does what it says on the tin.

Initially this work all seems to be very much a flight of fancy, a journey down the anthill of the absurd. With a lilting narrative that’s provided in verse and a mesmerising soundtrack, the film offers dry and surreal laughs as our lead protagonist’s ant-eating habit gets worse and worse as things progress.

While the film’s underlying metaphor is perhaps crashingly clear (which one suspects is all part of the joke) there is also a through line of genuine pathos and introspection. Exploring ideas of rebellion – and how it can be inherently childish and absurd – and addiction, there’s genuine emotion to be found here. With the bold and stark black-and-white animation giving the film something of an air of innocence and simplicity, Confessions of An English Ant-Eater is a deceptively clever piece of work.”

— Laurence Boyce