What is the film about?

Tired of being talked at by men, a woman takes a sensual trip with unusual friends.

Credits

Written, Directed & Animated by Kaho Yoshida
Sound Design by Ana Roman
Voice by Colin Chapin

A little background information...

My inspiration came from being an Asian immigrant woman in Canada. As a Japanese woman in the West, I have been fetishized and objectified. I was expected to be sexual in a way that meets the stereotype, while my needs and desires were dismissed and ignored. Also as an immigrant who learned English in my teen years, my tongue (my accent) has always prevented me from accessing certain power and safety. As soon as I open my mouth, my tongue betrays me and reveals my otherness. Tongues can be something that gives people pleasure, power, and safety and that fascinates me.

Image courtesy of Jelly

As I have sat across from men while they fetishized me, always explaining to me things I already know, I have fantasized about taking their tongues away.

This film is my attempt to reclaim my power and celebrate women’s sexuality and beauty. I wanted to tell this story with vulnerability and humor, and I trust that the audience will receive it with an open mind.

How was the film made?

Image courtesy of Jelly

In terms of craft, I really wanted to animate the tongue in stop motion. I love stop motion because it is so tactile and physical, and I wanted the tongues to look like you could touch them. I wanted to have some contrast between the tongue and the characters, so I decided to animate everything else in digital cel animation.

For sound design, I really wanted the tongue to have wet visceral sounds that are sensual but borderline grotesque. Also, the dialogue bits you hear are lines I wrote based on things that were actually said to me by random men. Other than a few sounds and elements I was set on, I relied on Ana Roman to create the atmosphere and the music. I think she did a fantastic job with creating a world of tongues.