A Crab in the Pool Review: Quiet Simplicity, Sharp Bite
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
For some, sibling relationships are straightforward. For others, they’re too intricate to explain – how two individuals from the same home can grow into polar opposites. The French animated short film A Crab in the Pool takes a stab at explaining why teen Zoe views the world through a distorted lens, while her little brother Theo loves to wear pretend goggles, imagining everyone around him as fantasy beings from mythical stories.
Created by Jean-Sébastien Hamel and Alexandra Myotte, A Crab in the Pool begins with a scene of a pleasant blue sky, where two birds slowly emerge, fighting for a slice of pizza that drops to the ground, right beside protagonist Zoe. Such seamless, clever transitions keep appearing in the 10-minute animated movie, which features simple, fluid artwork and standout ambient sounds.
The young Zoe suffers from body dysmorphia and is too preoccupied with her own personal troubles to take her little daydreamer brother, Theo, seriously. On a sunny day by the pool, Zoe does something in a fit of rage that breaks her brother’s heart. Flashbacks to another day at the pool reveal why the siblings are the way they are and their shared grief, while in the present, they make efforts to reconcile.
Zoe and Theo live in completely different worlds, yet their identities are deeply connected through shared history and blood ties. While the first few minutes may leave you wondering where the story is headed (despite its clever artistic transitions) the ending seamlessly weaves together the seemingly disjointed parts into a cohesive and impactful narrative.
The artwork is so simple that the scenes look like they were first drawn on MS Paint and then animated in some other app. That said, it’s the stark simplicity of the artwork, juxtaposed with complex, hard-hitting themes like familial loss, that makes A Crab in the Pool a riveting watch.
Rating: 4 on 5 stars.
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