AQUAPHOBE | Omeleto
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- A young woman tries to overcome her fear of water.
AQUAPHOBE is used with permission from Melanie Easton. Learn more at freecakefilms.com.
Alex is an aspiring pro swimmer and a typical young man in many ways. He puts in hard work at the pool and hangs out with friends at night, coming home to an apartment and his cat Miriam.
When his house cat turns into a human woman overnight, the two develop a relationship, even as Miriam tries to find her place and identity in the human world. But she must confront her paralyzing fear of water or risk losing her relationship altogether.
Written and directed by Melanie Easton, this charming short romance mines the whimsical premise of a cat turning into a human woman with a lightness of touch and a certain cheekiness. The winsome but insouciant tone of the fantasy strikes its balance at all levels of the storytelling, from the luminously lovely visual naturalism to the performances.
Part of the story's charm is how it takes Miriam's arrival in Alex's life with a certain matter-of-factness: it doesn't act as if Miriam's transformation is an everyday event, but it treats it with as much curiosity as a new neighbor moving in. Both Alex and Miriam accept the change in Miriam with gentle befuddlement. But having already established an easygoing companionship in their earlier carnation, they accept this new development with a certain equanimity, though life remains the same. Miriam still sleeps in the bed with Alex, as she did as a cat, and she still loves canned tuna.
With an effervescence generated by the pop music score and the nimble editing, the film tracks Miriam as she discovers certain fun aspects of human existence, like sparkly, sequin-covered clothes and, more importantly, a romance for Alex. Watching their relationship develop is a sweet, heartwarming process, like in many romance stories. But that growth is challenged as Miriam rubs up against certain feline aversions as a human. Like many cats, she's deeply fearful of water, which makes it hard for her to support Alex in his aspirations as a swimmer. She must confront that fear -- and ask herself if she's more cat or more human -- to save her relationship.
Most of AQUAPHOBE has a deft lightness of a modern fairytale, and the film seems to percolate to an equally bubbly conclusion. But in the last turn, it shifts into something more suspenseful, dynamic and even powerful, deepening the emotional register and raising the stakes. When the dust clears, it offers a moment of resigned wisdom -- a recognition that we are who we are, and no relationship can alter that, no matter how much we wish it.
I think the initial transformation happened because they had established a bond at that point and her transformation was a sign of them being ready to take the relationship to the "next level." But then as Miriam tries to adjust to life as a human, Alex isn't able to accept the nuances that he previously was able to accept. He pushes her to be someone she's not and so she returns to being a cat because that was the only form he was able to accept her in and that was the only form she felt most like herself, most safe.
ok shut up 👍
@@serenitycamphor4812 shut up
makes sense
Or... he slipped & fell at the pool, knocking himself out & dreamed the whole thing 🤷♀️
@@serenitycamphor4812 why wouLd you be that rude by smartshaMiNg
Reminds me of this Chinese story about a man who loved the lotus in his garden so much it turned into a beautiful human girl. They fell in love but since the lotus is a seasonal flower, she died in winter.
Damn. Lol
Beautiful but sad lol
Ohoh
😢
I watch alot of Chinese dramas like this
did it grow back?
Moral: don't try to change your lover into something she isn't. Let her be herself. You love her the way she is and for what she is or you don't.
moral #2: don't date your cat
💡Let every hoe be the hoe they are and don't fall in love with them👍
@@catherineharris4746 and then you wonder why you dont get girls.
@@maryamali9305 u dont pull guys or girls too
I think it's good to challenge the people in your life to try and be better. If you live in fear, do you really live?
_Me Looking at my Cat after watching this 🤔_
*My Cat :😒I would never Date You*
brooo xD xD
Hahaha😂😂
all cats: we do not fraternise with peasants, now go hooman open me a tuna can.
😅
@@N1lav meeooow( OK)
The girl is so good at imitating a cat wow. Great acting. She's beautiful and got that childish innocence and craze.
She was excellent!
Are you in love 😳 hahaha
I wished I had someone who I can love and someone who love me. 😔
Yeah, she's got that chaotic energy
Yeah she is beautiful x she looked amazing swimming in that water
I was out metal detecting and my cat actually swam across a creek to be with me! It was a truly amazing moment …
Oh
Not all cats hate water
Aww, that's so sweet
Most cats already know how to swim too
My cat wades through a lake to catch shrimps.
“Of course I support you… but from afar” .. now that’s a cat. LOL
I see it as a version of the classic fairytale "magic of love". Love is what brought her to him as a woman but that love eventually faded as we saw him getting frustrated with her. In the end, she couldn't save him and felt like the love was too far gone and so returned to being a cat. Tragic but with great moments of fun and humour too.
Exactly!!
Maybe she was a cat all along and this was just a fantasy?
@@littlemrpinkness295 That's a possible interpretation. These shorts are always great because they allow some freedom to interpret them differently. Personally I just think elements like the bar scene and the pile of clothes next to her at the end suggest that isn't the case.
everything changes but change.
The beauty of that, to me, is that either way it's the same story.
One of my favorite parts was when she knocked the glass off the counter and he said “you’ve broken every other dish in this house, you won’t let me buy cucumbers for some reason and then there’s a dead bird in the backyard!” 😹😻
I thought that was a trite attempt at comedy...
@@jimreadey4837 Well, as a cat owner paying homage to popular cat stereotypes, I could relate and made it me laugh. The only thing I would want more is her taking over cardboard boxes! I checked out your channel btw. You've got really cute dogs that made me smile! 🐶😊❤️
@@mspears_bobobuddytheseniorcat that is one cat box that I wouldn't want to scoop
@@MAILLADY2010 Bahahaha! 😹😹😹
@@mspears_bobobuddytheseniorcat My kats LOVE cardboard boxes. It's ridiculous. They're alll over the house.
I was dying when she told his friends that she used to be his cat. 😂 😂
Yeah the guys were thinking she was just taking the piss out of them. They're masters of that kind of thing in Australia (I know, I was there for two weeks lol). I so need to get back there.
Not the worst time she coulda turned back into a cat to be fair.
oh naaa man
Ayoooooooooo
She changed back to cat because that moment she realized that he don't don't trust her from that incident onwards..
Is that supposed to be a dirty joke? 😭
😂
My cats are like my children. This gave me the creeps because I could never see them in a romantic way.
Don't worry, they don't see you that way either.
Sure. It's okay...it's your secret....your cat won't tell;)
Who in Hollywood do you find strikingly beautiful ?
Now let’s say they never were in HW , but that look manifested overnight from your cat 🐈⬛ and you saw that for the first time , I’m sure you change your tune .
(Provided If this was real of course ) lol
@@Godisfirst21 ... What is wrong with you
@@thefluffables9008 I think you meant to say....."What is RIGHT with you". Many many things are RIGHT with me.
He asked "Are you a girl or a cat?"
She obviously chose cat 💕
i know there’s a deeper message to this short film, but if my dog turned into a woman, there is no way in hell i could ever feel any attraction to her… that’s family!!
I'm blown away by the quality of this romantic short film, as the market is saturated with poorly created stories. This is so funny and adorable! Realistic ending to what would be such a strange situation. Best film I've seen in January.
Hi all, I'm the writer and director of AQUAPHOBE. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts! If you have any burning questions, please feel free to ask. :)
My theory is that Miri became human because she wanted to try a new diet, she also had quite a vocabulary for a new woman. I wonder what the dynamic would have been if the sexes were reversed, have you thought about that? FYI: I loved your short film.
@@robindhood9125 Thank you so much! Yeah, maybe she was just sick of cat food, haha. I never really considered reversing their roles when I was writing it but it's definitely something fun to think about!
A few people have asked what the songs are, so for anyone wondering:
Olympic Sneakers by Heaps Good Friends
I Could Eat a Full Packet of Yo Yo's by Heaps Good Friends
Big Sky by Bjéar
What If The Love Dies by MANE
How did you come up with the idea of making a short film on this theme? What inspired and motivated you? How long did it take you to fully envision the story as shown through the film?
@@RajviThakore Thanks for your questions! :) I'm not really sure where the idea came from... one day I had the thought "What if someone's cat turned into a person?" and then just imagined all the different things that might happen in that situation. I've never actually owned a cat (I'm a dog person!) so I think that's why my brain went to cat stereotypes first - like cats being afraid of water. And then the idea to make Alex a swimmer came about because I was also a competitive swimmer when I was a kid and I thought it might be a fun contrast to have one character that thrives in water and one that hates it.
The first draft of the script was actually a horror movie, believe it or not. Miriam had a traumatic backstory and Alex died a gruesome death at the end, haha. But that was a bit too dark and it gradually turned into relationship dramedy over the next few drafts. But there were eight drafts in total and it was maybe a year between the first draft and when we actually shot the film.
The story also changed a bit in the edit. The original version of the film was 20 mins long and had some extra scenes with more weird cat behaviour, a scene which made Alex seem like less of a jerk, and a scene that explained how she cleans herself! But we were told to cut the film down to less than 15 minutes so it would be easier to program in festivals - so a lot of stuff I loved was lost. But such is filmmaking! Hope that answers your questions!
I knew the moment of transformation back to a cat would eventually come and was low-key afraid of it. And then the moment it actually happened was perfect.
That was awesome.
I love cats. I wish I was a cat but I'm not. Then again if I was I don't think I would ever trust a human knowing what I know about being one.
I find it odd that she would go straight to kissing. Thought it’d be more natural for her to rub her cheek on his instead
I think being a cat she must have seen humans' way of showing affection. Since she trying to blend it.
Ultimately, the story is about Alex's perception of and acceptance in Miriam. Initially, he accepted Miriam as a cat but once Miriam turned into a human, he was a bit less accepting and more averse, at times growing frustrated with her, suggesting the relationship between the two as humans was not meant to be since Alex never accepted Miriam in this form. That's why the story ended the way it did. Alex's genuine perception of Miriam was a a cat as he accepted Miriam always as a cat, but he could never get over her pecularities as a human. This was evidenced when Alex began questioning Miriam of her behavior and started yelling at her after they got home after the night out with friends. Therefore, since Alex always perceived Miriam and treated Miriam most lovingly when she was a cat, which is why she transformed into a cat since her cat form set the ideal relationship between them.
Are you saying that there are different expectations that we have for cats and people.
@@robindhood9125 of course man
Of course he had to change her. Did you expect him to fall in love with a cat?
as soon as her hand went near the water glass, I knew what was going to happen. I still laughed out loud when it happened tho...
You missed the bit where she started slapping him in the face at 5am cause she's hungry 😅
In all seriousness though, this was great, loved it!
Really weird as a dude to be laying here watching this with my cat curled up beside me.
😉😏
@@MrSamoannn sussy Wuzzy WORLDUSSY
Just imagine the possibilities... 😹 lolol
@@leroyj3627 shut up
SO YOU CAN BE SUS LOL!!!!!! TING TIGN TING TING WEH NTHE IMPOSTOR IS S U S YUM YUM SUSSY WUZZY MY SUSSY TUNG
🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵😉😉😉
@@flooffanthebest8919 🤣🤣🤣🤣
As a cat owner, I've fantasized about my cat turning into a handsome man and dating him even though he always looks at me angrily
Does he look at you like Kathy Bates did when she was held captive?
Let me help you out here, the cat is thinking "I know that I depend on this human for food and shelter but she is such a perv".
@@robindhood9125 I need HELP after watching this.
@@Godisfirst21 Word of advise, if something similar to this were to happen to you, just keep it to yourself and whatever you do, DON'T date your cat!
@@robindhood9125 You are FUNNY and I will take your advice. I don't have a cat, but...I do make friends with squirrels, birds and wild animals. That's all I'm gonna say. Do you have a cat? No, don't tell me. I can't handle it.
So basically the guy Alex was imagining his Cat to be a woman. You shouldn't be single for too long.
Lmao so did actually kiss his cat or?
I don't interpret it that way. I think it's a "magic of love" type metaphor. That is what brought her to him as a woman but that love eventually faded as we saw him getting frustrated with her. In the end, she couldn't save him and felt like the love was too far gone and so returned to being a cat.
@@shia_labeouf , i thought similarly , I hope there is a sequel where she has the ability to change when she needs to.. either way.. it could be a very interesting series... ??
No, Miriam definitely turned into a woman alright, hence the pile of clothes and shoes at the end 🙂
@@SP1x5
I don't want to know what other things he did with his cat.
Human and their expression of love - always demanding! I’d choose being a cat too.
This one I love to the cat-moon and back 😻
I don't think she 'chose' to be a cat. I think she wanted to be human, which is why she fantasized about jumping in the pool to save him. But in the end, she was a cat and not a human.
My interpretation of that fantasy and her ending up a cat was that, much as it would've been nice to jump into the pool, it went too much against her nature and herself - so to me, yes she chose, (maybe subconsciously) but definitely there was a loss of willpower to remain human.
@@saraha.namiiro2051 - Yes, I agree. 🙂
There was an episode of a tv show from the 80s that dealt with this, except in reverse. It was a man, a tom cat in every sense of the word, who would find a new woman every few months or so, transformed into a man and be their perfect lover until he got bored and would leave. The last woman he got with wasn't ready to accept that he was over it, so after he transformed back into a cat, she got him neutered.
WHAT??
He had the emotional intelligence of a teaspoon. What an inconsiderate prat lol.
Excellent video, acting and production though!!!
Me, me, me .. all about him, his friends, his competition. Didn't accept her, least love her as she was - different species, race.
Ah yes the absolute twat couldn’t even handle dating a cat
moral of the story don't date your cat whether you are a selfish brat or not. I was ready to call ASPCA or some other similar agency
Maybe he inhaled too much chlorine 🤔
@@celiajarvis3168 exactly
Great short, and quite an award winner. The water scenes top shelf along with the acting.
"You won't let me buy cucumbers!" 🤣🤣🤣
What does that mean?
@@dhirajkumargupta4151 Cats supposedly don't like cucumbers
@@dhirajkumargupta4151 Look up videos of cats and cucumbers. They freak them out. It's some instinctive fear, some say to do with snakes or other predators.
@@shia_labeouf I tried the cucumber trick with my cat, she just turned around sniffed it and walk past giving zero f**ks
cucumbers look like Snakes for a cat!
love someone for who they are and not for someone you want them to be.
You had me at woman cat
My cat adores my husband, even though he never grew up with pets. We rescued her from a pound and she has been 'DR CAT' to us ever since. Whenever anybody is sick in the house she comes and sits on them and purrs until they are well again. But she really really loves my husband and will go and nudge him and sit on him and meow to him. He is the first person to see her at the pound after she had been their for six months waiting for somebody. HE chose her for our family. I think she has never forgotten that moment of rescue and has loved him ever since.
That was nice. I sometimes enjoy these short stories way more on my phone way more than being stuck to a huge screen for hours.
She ate fish just like a cat. I loved that.
From the point he tried to bully her to watch him swim, he didn't deserve her.
Why did she deserve him? She had the brain of a cat.
idk id ditch a person pretty fast if they didnt support what i was all about. but mabey not a pet.
@@Unknown4935 she did support him, but she is scared of water remember? You try being around something you're terrified of
10:44 That "dead-eye" look a cat gives before checking for gravity
Nailed it!! 😂
I feel like if my dogs came to life we would end up wrestling/fighting before crying ourselves to sleep.
If my dog came to life, I’d have a playful, rebellious teenager who only listens to his momma and grandparents
man the lighting and the music in this one are just perfect
This film is so subtle in transmitting to us an obvious fact but not easy to radically accept that is we can't ask for a change of a person from his/her essence just to fit our expectation. They don't change may be just literally they can't. They are who they are, with what characteristics they were born with. The only way to stay happy in any relationship is let individuals be themselves in their suitable roles. Like in the film, he does love his cat, accept the behaviors of his cat, that is the suitable role of her in his life. She is a cat. She can't fit into the role of his expected girlfriend no matter how much he loves her and how much she tries.
I am going to play writer and director for a minute. Keep the scene with Miri swimming to save him and cut the boy saving him, replace it with wet collarless cat Miri licking his face to revive him, the end. OK, I really enjoyed my brief career. Next the lesson to be learned from the film: Sometimes as much as you try, even if motivated by love, sometimes you still can't change your basic nature, this also applies to trying to make someone change, the person first has to want to change and in this case all the change seemed to be demanded of only one party. When he met her she was a cat, he wasn't complaining when his apartment was free of rodents and she wasn't complaining about the type of dishes he had. You a cat or girl Miriam? Well if you have to ask... So now that they have experienced a different side of each other can their relationship ever go back to what it was before? PS: my local K-Mart just closed down and there was a great sale on dishes, Alex would have loved it.
This was brilliantly done. I cannot be the only person who was wondering if, as her time as a human, she must have smelled terrible because she was unable to bathe due to her fear of water....
Yep. We didn't see her make any attempt to lick herself.
My cat also transformed in to a women now I don't have a cat.
And when you are going to surprise your parents with your little kittens?? 😳😁😂?
@@ionman2537 , LOL.. nice reply in line with the theme..
Nor a woman?
That was a good one. I felt sorry for Miri being afraid of water when the tub was running over. I wonder if she purred at night when they were snuggled together in bed. Personally I wouldn't mind have a cat like Miri in my life.
As a cat riiight!?
Lol
You guys/girl/hirls/birls are giving me some weird vibes man/mam/can
I knew a girl who could purr, it blew my mind! So real.
I watched this with my cat. I feel weird now
Lol
Oh my gosh, Same here 🤣
😂 😂
Your cat probably does too 😂
Wow, impressive on every level. I loved how their struggles in their relationship were relatable in any relationship, and humorously told through her being a cat.
At least they didn't marry and have kittens. But a very funny film which I enjoyed.
Omg my sweet little boy Catticus Finch is watching this with me now, asleep on my feet. Cats are the best. The details in this were so funny “your breath” and lol how she is afraid of water
Did Catticus Finch like the movie?
Has he ever killed a mocking bird?
Her business with the fork and sardines was marvelous!
4:01 -- Wow, a cat that can read. Cool!
Just pickin' on ya'. This has been quite fun so far. I especially like the delighted way she checked out her new body when she first woke up as a human.
Alright which one of you weebs wrote this lmao?
Hahahahahahaha
I was half expecting her to morph further into a Catwoman vigilante at night...or atleast hiss and claw at his group's female friends...
LOL
12:30 subtitles: [Miriam breathing]
My broken humour: yeah but he isn't 💀
I really like this. Who we are at our core is the true self. We may change for a while, but it can’t last or we aren’t ourself. We can only be ‘me.’ Demands to be what we are not is not love. It can be desperation, loneliness, bullying, but it is clueless and even selfish. But it is not love. Nice fantasy story as cover.
She turned into a cat because she got the ick when she saw him fall.
when she jump into the pool ... 😭
Omg he just so gentleman like he knows that he maybe has a one night stand with a stranger yet still care about the condition of the girl and offering her a breakfast like idk it just caught my heart
We all deserve to be loved for who we actually are. The song at the end is so haunting and perfect. ❤
Clear depiction.. it would be difficult to change our innate quality.
This reminds me of a mini play from the show "Story Theater" by Paul Sills The show is a series of short familiar tales. The one I'm thinking of is called "Venus and the Cat." It's a version of the Greek story of Pygmalion. In the ST version, the man falls in love with his cat. He is thrilled when she transforms into a beautiful woman. But then he sees her grabbing a mouse and picking it up to eat it ...
That was the most original piece of art I have seen in ages! Bravo!
Cat has 9 lives so she gave one and became cat again.... ♥️
I have a Siamese cat. She would be a crazy woman!
Haha! I was thinking the same thing about my cats. One of them would be great on a show like "My 1000lb Life" for being nothing but a fat, food obsessed couch potato. The other cat, a beautiful Somali, would be some 007 femme fatale. 😁
My Siamese is 18 years old. He talks a lot. If he became a human he would be a politician.
She was very convincing as a cat :)
People are much more forgiving towards animals and aren't always very forgiving towards other people, wanting them to change who they are. The idea of a relationship is different from a relationship.
This is surprisingly an OK short film and strangely odd at the same time. I'm not sure what else to say about this one!???
Same, I feel exactly the same lol!
Thanks for your ok. I used to only watch the films by most liked . But now that the dislikes button cancelled out. I read peoples comments. Ok thanks
It was a very odd one
This was really well done and I quite enjoyed it. There was a playfulness to it and also questioned what it would really be like if it were to really happen. Omeleto, you've created yet another amazing piece. Thank you.
I couldn’t fully get into this .. even if I had a cat and they turned into a person, I wouldn’t look at them with romantic feelings. Would just be the same as usual, a best friend! Isn’t he thinking like “hey this is my freaking cat and we are kissing right now”.
It’s weird/ sort of creepy to me that he looks at her in a romantic way. Idk I can’t get into this. Although I tried to keep an open mind. Still nope lol
Not me thinking my cat will turn into a man tonight😹😹🙈
He's sleeping on the floor tonight 🙁😹
A bit awkward, eh?
Ha Ha..
I've never seen a cat that afraid of water. My cats used to walk the tub while I was in it and once in a while dip a paw for a drink.
My current cat is that afraid of water, but my cat growing up loved water lol
Me missing my cat Max, who was my Mom's old cat, which I adopted after she passed. Prior, I was always a dog person. He was like 12+ years old. I took him to the vet when they opened. $259 later, they told me he was gonna die. They offered to take him for euthanasia and cremation, I said no and took him home at about 10 or 11 am. He laid quietly in my lap, where he always enjoyed laying and he died quietly in my lap at 3:30 pm. I still miss him to this day.
And here i am .... wishing my girl to transform into a cat 😂🤣
Lmao
Ew
Very sad , she was an incredibly beautiful girlfriend for him ...
Poor miriam. He did not deserve her
Sad, but then anything with a cat is sad. My 18 year old baby boy passed 2 months ago and he really was the love of my life, I miss him constantly.....
I'm so very sorry for your loss. It is a pain that hurts like nothing else
Are you a woman or a cat? She's a cat.
Her laughing @ cat videos 😆
What an interesting concept.
Old one Alice Krige starred in a cat movie like this
I just assume she smelled horrible having not bathed for months.
wonder if she still pooped in a box for him to clean up?
Oh, I'm assuming she just washed herself off. Not entirely sure how that would be anatomically possible, but art is willful suspension of disbelief so hey, go for it.
@@philipmeckley5154 No, you're exactly right! Funnily enough we actually shot a scene that explained this but it got cut in the edit to make the film shorter for festivals. But maybe we should have left it in, haha.
For those that don't see it - this has nothing to do with a magical cat turning into a woman.
No one else thought it was weird that he thought it was ok to boink his cat? Only me? K
She dreams she saves him and the the switcheroo back to kitty land. Great writing
The manifestation of loneliness
I do wonder what my cat would be like if she became human all the time!
My cat would be me as a human. I am her human form and she is my cat form.
Singleness level over 9000
I know that I am not popular at parties, but how TF could she study at Uni without any document?
JK
I liked it very much. The scene when she imagines to swim underwater to save him is really effective!
I am somewhat new to Omeleto, but I have bingewatched several. Melanie, yours is so beautiful, I write many stories and it must take so much skill to write what to me is a feature length film in 10 to 15 minutes. A lovely romantic story thank you
Top tier acting done by the cat
Her knocking the glass off killed me
Cats do act like high-maintenance chicks sometimes.
Miriam.. this is a wild arabian princess fantasy😂😂😂😂😂😂
He was trying to impose human on a cat inside a human vessel, you can't do that, that is why she chose cat again, because she knew that is who she truly was and no amount of him loving her could change that.
Moral of this story: Cat will remain cat after all.. instead of trying to help, fearing water is more important to her😑
This is strange lol. I’ve always wondered what it would be like if my cat were human. She’s more like a little sister though.
let's say that he felt so lonely that the only way he thought he could have a companion is being with his cat.... then when the spell is broken (he overcomes the psychological aspect) then he sees her for who she is A CAT. that simple. 😁😁😁😁
I really enjoyed this modern version fairytale (what would Andersen think of it??), including the end! PS it gave me an idea for a Facebook post: asking my friends-with-cats to post a photo of how their cat would look if turned human ;-)
10:56 the most hilarious joke I have yet seen on Omeleto!!! 😅😂🤣
Atleast she tried to save him, sady she become a cat.
this is relationship goals :::snuggles with my cat::::
She is so beautiful