Part of SXSW’s shorts program, The Bleacher is directed by Adam Wilder and Nicole Daddona, and produced by Zeus Kontoyannis (“Mr. Sam”) and Zeus Pictures. The film stars Kate Micucci, Ben Sinclair, and Sky Elobar.

The Bleacher is an animated short film that follows Rita around as she struggles to come to terms with the consequences of her actions. It begins with a late night at a sketchy laundromat where Rita comes in and is immediately displeased when she discovers one of her socks is missing from her load. With the people around her ignoring her questioning, she has no choice but to take another look inside the washing machine, only to be transported back to everything she had been avoiding thinking about.

Even though the film had a small crew and budget, the animation is insane in the best way possible. The characters are extremely detailed and have their own personal charm added to each one; even the side characters present in the laundromat have their own personality shine through. Rita has a couple of different looks throughout the short film, each one perfectly representing her mental state.

The different settings in the film, while limited, are also amazing. The set pieces really do feel as if they are lived in and you’re watching a real life scene play out in front of you. Rita’s home set piece works well with the story as we see the pristine, clean, almost too perfect home be turned into the gruesome murder scene once we realize what Rita’s done. The nightmare sequence with the dolphin inside the machine also perfectly embodies this creepy atmosphere that makes you wonder what exactly you’re watching.

This is an amazing short film that perfectly mixes horror and fun! You can’t take your eyes off of this one when you watch it. You can feel the passion from the animators behind this one. The animation style is incredibly cool, and I am mesmerized by what was accomplished with this short.

We give The Bleacher 5/5.

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