Céline Roustan

Set in a quiet neighborhood where two octogenarians and a very hungry cat reside, La Pursé begins with familiar animated characters before taking a wild turn. This nine-minute short tells the story of Mr. Badú, a taxidermist by trade, and his attempts to seduce his neighbor, Mrs. Aurelia, through a series of questionable presents – until one finally gives him what he desires, or at least a version of it! Directed and animated by Gabriel Nóbrega and Lucas René, La Pursé perfectly blends humor, fantasy, and horror, resulting in a dark yet entertaining watch.

Despite its sleek 3D animation style, La Pursé quickly establishes that dark tone in its first scene, where the cat is revealed to be a much bigger character than just a starved pet. After meeting the two other protagonists and witnessing their first interaction, we could be quick to judge Mrs. Aurelia as the antagonist. However, the film plays with that trope and turns it on its head, showing that she is not deliberately starving her cat and that Mr. Badú is actually a bit of a creep. Avoiding a straightforward good vs evil narrative, La Pursé could go in a number of unexpected directions.

Mrs. Aurelia the love interest in the film

With the first third of the film dedicated to the exposition, providing us a glimpse into how this weird trio interacts, this allows the directors to play with the black humor penned by the film’s screenwriters Rúbia Sproesser and Pedro Paulo de Antrade. From there, the film quickly escalates and as the pacing intensifying La Pursé gets wilder and wilder, going from a dark comedy to a straight up bloody horror film. 

Although the actual action scene passes by very quickly, its intensity is finely tuned. From the aforementioned pacing (crafted by the editing) to the score and sound effects, they combine with dynamic camera movements, which enhance the violence of the moment, to create a climax that is surprisingly effective. Nóbrega and René do not shy away from making La Pursé as bloody as possible, and while the animation style is pleasing on the eye, they still manage to craft a certain level of gore into their aesthetic.

Narratively, the ending could be predictable for some, but fresh off the insanity of that previous scene, it still delivers its humor perfectly. Giving us just the right amount of time to grasp what just went down, and appreciate the interconnected levels of revenge. 

Ahead of making its way online, La Pursé toured the festival circuit with notable stops at Sitges, Norway’s KortFilmFestivalen and the Palm Springs ShortFest.