Sleeping With The Fishes

Sarah and I had been racking our heads trying to find an idea for our graduation film. Despite sharing a taste for the grotesque and humorous, as well as characters with heart, I kept pushing for something “deep” or weighty.

On a trip to the seaside, while waiting in an antique shop for James, our multi-talented producer, to arrive, I suggested an idea about a fishmonger who was lonely because of his smell. We considered swapping the gender, but it didn’t work and the brainstorming session ended abruptly after I lost my phone, never returning to the idea.

I have always been drawn to the “romantic” sadness of loneliness. Many films, especially short animations exploring this theme, resonated with me and brought comfort, like a sad song can. After frustrating Sarah with my pickiness, I asked her to write freely about loneliness. Within days, she sent a wonderful treatment that was so rich and colourful that I fell in love with it.

Although our character, Sonja, started off quite self-isolated, the film shows the contrast between us as collaborators: Sarah was drawn to strong, isolated characters, while I was drawn to loneliness itself, and this was shown in the film making for a richer character. This reflected in Sonja’s favourite place to be, her bathtub, which captures the same comfort in solitude, being completely alone yet perfectly at ease, where she eventually lets Bruce join her in her world, enrichening it.