ONE WEEK ABOUT Kaboom Animation Festival
The annual Kaboom Animation Festival – from 13 to 22 March in Utrecht, Amsterdam and online – presents the latest, most creative, innovative and daring national and international animation productions with the theme ‘Human Touch’. Over the coming days, we will be showcasing a number of the Dutch participants, today Patty Stenger & Yvonne Kroese.
The lonely teenager Yo hurls tomatoes in frustration and accidentally hits Lydia, an elderly, disabled woman. Rushing to her aid, he soon discovers that Lydia is not as helpless as she seems. Gradually, the lines between perpetrator and victim begin to blur.
The story
Vleestomaat (Beef Tomato) challenges common stereotypes by presenting our two main characters from multiple perspectives. They each have bright and dark sides. At first, Lydia seems like a powerless victim, being bullied by kids. However, as the story unfolds, we see a different side of her: she bullies back. As Yo walks her home, Lydia tricks him into coming inside, traps him there and uses emotional manipulation to get Yo to help her. Fear begins to distort Yo’s perception of reality. Lydia realizes how much she has missed having someone around. Yo, as it turns out, is not as tough as he thinks. He is lonely as well. Music brings them together.
Larger-than-life elements, familiarity and alienation collide, turning into horror. Prejudices heighten the fear of the unknown, while fantasy and reality merge. Yet, amidst all this, there are moments of friendship and tenderness. The dialogue is minimal, allowing the visuals to dominate with an overwhelming number of witty details. Vleestomaat is a film you should actually watch more than once!
