Sog
2017 · 10m · Germany
Directed by Jonatan Schwenk
Genres: animation, drama, surrealism
Tones: contemplative, dark, surreal
A shoal of fish stranded in a desolate land faces the vicious attacks of a tribe of humanlike creatures in this mixed-media allegory about intolerance.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
A mixed-media allegory about intolerance told through stranded fish and humanoid attackers—it's deliberately strange enough to dodge the sermon and weird enough to actually stick. The kind of premise that makes you lean in instead of scroll past.
Schwenk situates this within a lineage of political surrealism (Plympton, Švankmajer), and the mixed-media approach signals formal ambition, though the allegory's bluntness risks overwhelming the craft decisions that might have made it resonate.
The pivot to mixed-media—that decision to shift from pure animation into collage or hybrid texture—is what keeps this from feeling like standard message-film territory; it's the formal restlessness that sells the discomfort.
Reviews
Join director Jonatan Schwenk for an insightful and comprehensive look into the challenges of combining stop-motion, CG, 2D, and live action into the short film "Sog," his multi-award winning animated allegory for tolerance and understanding.