Directed by Ida Melum and written by Laura Jayne Tunbridge, while stuck at her sister’s baby shower a thirty-something woman is forced to decide whether she wants to have kids or not after unexpectedly giving birth to her reproductive organs. Voiced by: Synnøve Karlsen, Sofia Oxenham, Katy Secombe, Jordan John, Daisy-May Parsons and Ellie Redshaw.
Ovary-Acting wouldn’t be the first time a woman’s spoken to her uterus considering how much hassle and pain they can cause, but it’s definitely the first time it’s joined in the conversation. It’s also undeniable this would be the billionth time that a woman has had an unwanted conversation about her reproductive plans, or lack thereof. Laura Jayne Tunbridge captures an utterly relatable experience for women and does so in a way that any gender can enjoy, and hopefully certain viewers can learn from it. Tunbridge and Ida Melum similarly did a fantastic job of capturing the experience of anxiety in their previous BAFTA-nominated short, Night of the Living Dread, so if you enjoy Ovary-Acting you should absolutely give it a watch.
Starting out with that woven style to the characters draws you in quickly, there’s such a warmth and inviting nature to its texture. Particularly when it’s so colourful and its movement feels very nostalgic. The design of the characters and setting is well done, it’s close enough to reality without having to be perfectly linked to it. It helps to really bring out that comedic tone but hold onto the sincerity of the topic, driving home the relevancy of the conversation while having some fun with it.
Something that’s undoubtedly reflected in the voice performances from Synnøve Karlsen as Eva and Sofia Oxenham as Ovy. The two have a truly natural banter, Karlsen captures Eva’s understandable, reasonable frustration while Oxenham’s Ovy is enjoyably desperate and slightly unhinged. It’s akin to the classic unlikely duos of comedy, except that they’re two halves of the same whole. They make for a great representation of the internal battles of most women, and they do so in a fun, entertaining and playful way. Adding in a musical vein was a surprisingly excellent addition, especially visually.
Ovary-Acting is a brilliantly written short film, to take a hugely relatable, relevant experience for women and both do it justice while turning it into something funny, smart and satirical. The directorial style is strong, the design of the characters is superb and the way that it moves is nostalgic and engaging. The voice performances are fantastic, Synnøve Karlsen and Sofia Oxenham really have a great chemistry, and their banter is extremely entertaining. It has that clever blend of feeling simple and wholesome on the outset while exploring a complicated, frustrating, insulting, undermining conversation, that far too many women will be all too familiar with.
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