Federer v Nadal, Johnson v Bird, Ali v Frazier, sport has seen some epic rivalries over the years and cinema/television has often capitalised on the captivating nature of these stories by bringing them to screen. Ryan McCown’s surreal animation Flutz also taps into this athletic conflict, as it tells the story of two competing figure skaters and their clash for top spot.

“The stories and myths that come from those involved in the elite level of the sport have always fascinated me”

Set in the world of competitive figure skating, Flutz introduces us to its rival athletes as their coach explains how she’s been training them since they were both young. Declaring that “they never liked each other”, over the short’s eight-minute duration we learn of their strengths – star-faced Lena is a “technician”, while bird-like Lena is an “artist” – and how their rivalry pushes them to their limits.

An ex-figure skate himself, McCown admits he’s always been fascinated by “the stories and myths that come from those involved in the elite level of the sport”. As we discuss the origins of his narrative, he explains how the “recent technical progression on the women’s side of the sport and the increased focus on younger bodies” was a key inspiration in developing a storyline centred around the life span of a female figure skater’s career.

With such a specific starting place for his narrative, you’d be forgiven for assuming that Flutz would be a film with very little universal appeal. Throw in a somewhat unusual approach to the filmmaking – the short is presented in monochrome animation with a 1:1 ratio, with all dialogue spoken in a strange backwards language – and you may be wondering if this is really a short we should be championing on SotW. So it’s to McCown’s credit that not only does this strange combination of story and style work, it feels like one of the most original films we’ve seen in some time. An assessment which was only amplified by the fact we knew nothing about Flutz before we stumbled upon it online.

Described as a “passion project” created with the aim of communicating his love for the sport of figure skating, alongside showcasing the “strangeness that often accompanies elite level sports”, McCown started his film during the pandemic and saw it play a number of smaller festivals, before releasing it online in late July 2023. With its eye-catching approach to its visuals and its strange take on sporting rivalries Flutz feels like a film perfect for online viewing and as an independent production one we’re enthusiastically championing here on S/W.

McCown is now working on a new animated short about “evolution and crabs”.