Reflective Encounters

“Romance isn't dead just yet in this dreamy yet brutal stop motion animation by Bára Anna Stejskalová. Desperate to find connection, we witness our protagonist, a lowly parasite-type creature living in a junkyard, and its lonely, decaying world, albeit one that is coloured with hope and awash with gorgeous colours. The stop motion animation emphasises the tenderness of our protagonist, with a sense of the intricate human touch of each frame, but there is also an additional edgy darkness inherent to this form of animation.

The colour palette delicately shifts from deep reds during conflict, to soft hues inside its "home" (a dog’s corpse), and even within the junkyard it lives in there is much beauty within the film’s tones. The reanimated corpse a metaphor for metamorphosis in itself: we see life in death, restoration in degradation, and safety in what once was a threat as the creatures reanimates this vessel, hunting for new bonds whilst fighting off environmental dangers. Despite the decaying world and characters within it, our hero remains optimistic, focusing on the value of kindness and the idea that with an open mind, beauty can be found anywhere. Perhaps that’s something worthwhile learning from today.”

— Alice Shone