This Stunning Animated Short Film About a Mermaid and a Seafood Chef Is Set in the Philippines
The trailer for an intriguing and visually stunning animated short film is making the rounds on the internet and capturing the attention of people all over the world.
The 45-second trailer for The Lovers premiered on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter on Tuesday, May 9 (May 10 in the Philippines). According to the logline, the film is set in a “dark fantasy vision of the Philippines” and tells the story of the relationship between Sarah Lim Baylon, a seafood chef who works in a restaurant in Binondo, Manila, and a mermaid (or sirena).
The film describes itself as a “WLW”—or women who love women—short film.
“As the youngest member of her family to run their restaurant, Sara faces the daunting pressure to live up to her late father's reputation and keep the business afloat,” the film’s synopsis reads. “When the governor's inauguration dinner is planned at the restaurant, featuring a sirena as the centerpiece, Sara finds herself drawn into a dangerous affair with the mythical creature.”
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“Enemies to lovers,” the website says about the short film. “Adult animation. No, not that kind.”
According to the filmmakers, The Lovers “embraces colloquial Tagalog and Taglish to immerse the viewer into the unique dynamics of a Filipino family. The film explores mature themes, delving into the complexities of repression, love, generational trauma, body horror, and the intricacies of desire and identity.”
It is the debut film of Studio Heartbreak, an independent animation studio and production company “run by twentysomethings.” The studio’s team members have worked for animation studios including Powerhouse, Pierrot, Mappa Studio, and The Line and have also contributed to titles like Attack on Titan, Legend of Pipi, Chiaki’s Journey, Boruto and others.
“We’re a young and diverse creative team assembled from around the world, formed when two students were rejected from every art internship they applied to one summer,” the filmmakers wrote in the Kickstarter page. “We’ve crafted this story together with the power of friendship (and blood, and sweat, and tears…), and now, we want to invite you to be a part of the journey with us!”
Just over a day after the Kickstarter page for the project went live with a goal of raising $60,000 (about P3.35 million), the project had already exceeded its target, with around 2,400 people pledging just over $160,00 as of around midnight on Thursday (Manila time), with 43 days to go.
The filmmakers say the film is scheduled to be in development until at least the second quarter of 2025. In the meantime, they say people can support the project either by contrubting directly to the Kickstarter campaign or by purchasing any of the items in its debut merchandise collection.
Watch the full trailer below and read more about the mythical world of The Lovers (and perhaps support the project yourself) on its Kickstarter page.
