Sweet Like Lemons
2023 · 6m · Finland, United Kingdom
Directed by Jenny Jokela
Genres: animation, drama, experimental
Tones: melancholic, surreal
A hand-painted animated reflection on escaping a harmful relationship and finding the courage to close a chapter without ever getting closure. The film uses surreal, symbolic imagery to visualize the turbulent emotions of heartbreak and self-empowerment.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Hand-painted-on-cels acrylic animation about leaving a bad relationship — six minutes, no closure, all texture. That's the format working as intended.
Jokela's acrylic-on-cels technique places her in the painterly lineage of Caroline Leaf and Michele Cournoyer, where tactile materiality carries emotional weight directly. Five minutes of considered hand-craft.
5:30 of acrylic-painted-on-cels-then-rescanned animation by Jokela — that's an absolutely brutal labor commitment for a 5.5-minute runtime, and Sarah Playford's score plus Adam Woodhams' sound design supporting hand-painted texture is the right team for tactile dream-logic. Heartbreak shorts at this length need every frame to count; this one earned its frames.
Reviews
A sharp and visceral film that delves into the complexities of relationships and the struggle for closure after a breakup, with an unconventional narrative structure paired with traditional painted animation creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
Director Jenny Jokela paints a flavorful reflection on letting go, with each frame meticulously hand-painted in acrylic to capture the turbulent emotions of heartbreak and self-empowerment.
Festivals
- Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2023, Nominated for Cristal for Best Short Film
- Ottawa International Animation Festival 2023
- AFI FEST 2023
- Sitges Film Festival 2023, Nominated for Best Animated Short Film
- Nordisk Panorama Film Festival 2023
- Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2024
- BAFTA 2024, Longlisted