Caterpillarplasty
2019 · 5m · Canada
Directed by David Barlow-Krelina
Genres: dark comedy, satire, sci-fi
Tones: dark, provocative, surreal
In a dystopian future, disfigured humans chase perfection through endless cosmetic procedures.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
Finally, a film that treats body horror not as jump-scare fodder but as genuinely unsettling social commentary—the premise alone is the kind of "wait, WHAT?" inversion that makes most scouts squeamish, which is exactly why it works.
Barlow-Krelina positions himself squarely in the lineage of Cronenberg body-horror and Gilliam's dystopian grotesque, executing that formal tradition with crisp surrealism and a satirist's precision about consumer obsession.
The decision to play the cosmetic pursuit as compulsive repetition—same procedure, same distorted result—transforms what could've been a one-note premise into something genuinely disorienting, a formal loop that makes the satire land.
Reviews
With exquisite CG animation, the film explores how far people will go to achieve symmetrical features, glowing skin, and approval from their peers. And while "Caterpillarplasty" is visually mind-blowing, it's the short's biting message that will burrow into your brain and stay with you long after you watch.