Written and directed by Yasmin Afifi, brought together serendipitously in a moment of mischief, two elderly care home residents form an unlikely relationship when they make an enchanted discovery. Starring: Flo Wilson, Sayed Badreya, Sergute Mariam, Shane Afolabi, Horaios Aidoo, Aslan Amjad and Bart Stanislawek.

There is something so fun and ceaselessly satisfying about having a character who simply does not care what other people think or filter their thoughts and Jellyfish and Lobster creates a beautiful example of that with Grace (Flo Wilson). Yasmin Afifi lovingly hands her this spectacularly blunt and sarcastic dialogue which is extremely entertaining and funny to watch.

It’s really enjoyable to watch Grace as she does not pull her punches whatsoever but on top of that Afifi is also creating layers of deep emotion, traversing into heavy topics of death and the idea of how to spend your final moments. It’s sincerely sad but has a meaningfully positive edge to it, ultimately being a celebration of life, even if it’s coming to an end.

Part of why Yasmin Afifi can create such a wonderfully complex atmosphere is that her direction and the quality of the cinematography by Linda Wu, are exceptional. The underwater scenes in particular are brilliantly shot and the aesthetic all throughout is sharp and colourful. It lends even more weight to a story which is already compelling and touching.

Then on top of that you have Catherine Hillier’s score which warmly embraces all the emotion on offer in Jellyfish and Lobster. All of which is in turn enhanced by the excellent performances from Flo Wilson and Sayed Badreya. Wilson begins with this big feel of defiance and apathy, then she evolves that into not only a hugely entertaining sense of humour but also an affecting amount of vulnerability and fear. Whereas Badreya’s Mido adds this movingly sweet, generous and cheeky presence, watching Mido bring out the gentler side of Grace is genuinely moving, they have a brilliant chemistry.

Jellyfish and Lobster is utterly charming, funny and sincerely touching. Every element works to embrace and enhance one another. The writing is brilliant, the direction and aesthetic are excellent and the performances are incredible. It simply has so much to offer, filled with humour and emotion, sad yet hopeful, entertaining yet heart-breaking and overall it’s just a lovely and extremely memorable piece of film.

Verdict: ✯✯✯✯✯ | 10/10

BAFTA Winner for Best British Short Film in 2024