Observes and presents the emotional content well

An odd animation this one, the type which is too easily dismissed as art student fare. The plot sees a fishmonger shunning human contact and only ever content at home in her bath with her fish. In art student film style, the animation style is by hand, it features nudity, and is distinctly weird in its content. However, with all this it is surprisingly engaging - and mostly this is because of how well it presents its emotions within its lead character.

She is shut down but the film gives us enough to feel for her, rather than just see her as being difficult. She also shows a lot on the edges of her actions which link to those within her private moments in the bath. While a lot of the specifics of the film tend towards the absurd, it is this observational core that makes it work. The animation is deliberately lacking in polish, and has great character. The sound work is also effective as it draws out the fleshy noises of the workplace, and lacks dialogue to have to overdo anything.

At first glance, it does look like a deliberately difficult art student piece, but there is much here to enjoy, and much it does well.

Animation is a form of visual storytelling that involves creating visual art and motion through the use of various techniques and technologies. In animation, images are manipulated to create the illusion of movement, bringing characters, objects, and environments to life. Animation can encompass a wide range of styles, themes, and intended audiences, making it a diverse and versatile form of storytelling.

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The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

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Sonja lives a lonely life as a fishmonger, more at ease with her fish than her customers, until one day a delivery man turns up who looks like a rainbow trout.

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Sleeping with the Fishes

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