A Crab in the Pool
| A Crab in the Pool | |
|---|---|
| French | Un trou dans la poitrine |
| Directed by | Alexandra Myotte Jean-Sébastien Hamel |
| Written by | Alexandra Myotte Jean-Sébastien Hamel |
| Produced by | Alexandra Myotte Jean-Sébastien Hamel |
| Starring | Élisabeth Gauthier-Pelletier Jean-Sébastien Hamel |
| Edited by | Jean-Sébastien Hamel |
Production company | Sémaphore Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 11 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | French |
A Crab in the Pool (French: Un trou dans la poitrine) is a 2023 Canadian animated short film about hardship and grief, directed by Alexandra Myotte and Jean-Sébastien Hamel.[1] The film premiered at the 2023 Fantoche animation film festival in September 2023, and has received several nominations and awards, including the Best Canadian Animation Award at the 2023 Ottawa International Animation Festival and the Audience Awards for Best Animated Short at the 2024 South by South West Festival (SXSW).[2][3][4] On December 17, 2024, A Crab in the Pool was shortlisted for the 97th Academy Awards in the category of Best Animated Short Film.[5]
The short film is available to watch on Vimeo.
Summary
Zoé is a teenage girl hanging with the wrong crowd, and her younger brother Théo frequently imagines the people he sees as the characters from his colouring book of Greek myths. Zoé is annoyed by Théo's imagination as it often causes his to make messes.
During one hot summer afternoon, Zoé and Théo go to the public swimming pool to cool off. Upon changing into her bathing suit in the women's bathroom, Zoé hallucinates her body changing against her will, even pulling a crab out of her body and crushing it with her foot. At the main pool, Théo imagines Zoé as a snake-haired Gorgon, prompting her to slap him back into reality. Shocked at what she has done, Zoé rushes back into the women's bathroom; she then remembers her mother, who remained positive even after becoming bald and having her left breast removed. Back at the pool, Théo also remembers his mother who had given him his colouring book and informed him of the Amazons, the mythological warrior women who were said to remove their breasts to become better archers. When asked if she would fight until the end, Zoé and Théo's mother promised she would.
It is eventually revealed that the two siblings' mother had actually died of breast cancer: Zoé's acting out and Théo's imagination have been their coping mechanisms in dealing with her death. As the siblings sit together by the edge of the pool, they tearfully embrace as they remember their late mother.[6][7]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Ottawa International Animation Festival | Best Canadian Animation | Won | [3] |
| Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur | Best Direction, Short Film Competition | Won | [8] | |
| Cinemania | Best Short Film | Won | [9] | |
| Giant Incandescent Resonating Animation Festival | Best Canadian Animation | Won | [10] | |
| 2024 | South by Southwest | Audience Award, Animated Shorts | Won | [4] |
| Sommets du cinéma d'animation | Grand-Prix Guy L. Côté | Won | [11] | |
| Animest Festival | Grand Prize | Won | [12] | |
| Short Shorts Film Festival | Best Short Film, Animation | Won | [12] | |
| Animation Is Film | Special Jury Prize | Won | [13] | |
| Prix Iris | Best Animated Short Film | Won | [14] | |
| 2025 | Prix collégial du cinéma québécois | Best Short Film | Won | [15] |
References
- ^ Amarsanaa Battulga, "GoCritic! Review: A Crab in the Pool". Cineuropa, October 17, 2023.
- ^ Jamie Lang, "10 Can’t-Miss Short Films That’ll Screen At Ottawa 2023". Cartoon Brew, September 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Ramin Zahed, "‘Miserable Miracle’ and ‘When Adam Changes’ Win Top Prizes at Ottawa Intl. Animation Festival". Animation Magazine, September 23, 2023.
- ^ a b Matt Grobar, "‘Bob Trevino Likes It,’ Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man,’ A24’s ‘Sing Sing’ & Dramedy ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ Among SXSW Audience Award Winners". Deadline Hollywood, March 18, 2024.
- ^ Jamie Casemore, "Universal Language makes Oscars shortlist for international feature". Playback, December 18, 2024.
- ^ Florence Morin-Martel, "Le prix du public de SXSW décerné à un court métrage d’animation québécois". Le Devoir, March 20, 2024.
- ^ "A Crab in the Pool". European Film Academy. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "FIFF 2023 : Le palmarès du court-métrage". Cinergie, October 2, 2023.
- ^ "CINEMANIA dévoile le palmarès de sa 29e édition". CTVM, November 13, 2023.
- ^ Mercedes Milligan, "‘A Crab in the Pool,’ ‘The House of Loss’ Win Top Prizes at GIRAF". Animation Magazine, November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Les 22e Sommets de cinéma d’animation remettent leurs prix". Qui Fait Quoi, May 14, 2024.
- ^ a b "The Very Long List of the 2024 Animated Short Oscar Contenders". Animation Magazine, October 25, 2024.
- ^ Mercedes Milligan, "‘Flow,’ ‘Wander to Wonder’ Win Grand Prizes at Animation Is Film". Animation Magazine, October 23, 2024.
- ^ Charles-Henri Ramond, "Gala Artisans 2024: les lauréats dévoilés". Films du Québec, December 5, 2024.
- ^ Charles-Henri Ramond, "Soleils Atikamekw lauréat du PCCQ". Films du Québec, April 6, 2025.