Fans could not contain their excitement for the Filipino animated thriller and WLW (Woman Loving Woman) film, The Lovers.
This, after independent animation studio, Studio Heartbreak, released the short film’s official trailer in its YouTube account on Sunday.
Set in a dark fantasy vision of Binondo in Manila, The Lovers tells the story of Sara Baylon, a 24-year-old seafood chef forced to drop her dreams of going abroad to keep their family’s restaurant afloat after her father’s passing.
While bearing the weight of such responsibility, Sara will find herself entangled in an affair with a sirena, a mythical creature that is half-human and half-fish, which will be the centerpiece of the governor’s inauguration dinner to be held at Sara’s restaurant.
The 46-second gory trailer opened with a voice-over dialogue, “Where I’m from, it’s all open. Cradling. Dark. Water. Temperature.” A troubled-looking Sara appeared towards the ending as fast-phased scenes flashed behind her. When the screen turned black, a voice could be heard saying, “Sa karagatan, ihatid mo ako.”
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Netizens showered the comment section with their excitement for the film’s release.
User Crystalline Snowflakes praised the film’s trailer for its “amazing concept, astounding visuals and phenomenal production.”
“Ang galing niyo pong lahat! Sana po matagumpay ang proyekto na ito at tangkilikin ng marami pang iba!” they said.
“Less than a minute of content but the movie looks amazing already! As a fellow Filipino and an animation lover, I’m already so excited to see the full film!” user SideLamp, meanwhile, said.
The ending’s Tagalog dialogue particularly caught the attention of netizen couchpotato which was a *chef’s kiss* for them.
“Watched this so many times since it dropped on kickstarter but I still get goosebumps from sirena’s ‘Sa karagatan, ihatid mo ako,’” they commented.
Some praised The Lovers as it did not only give representation to the country, but also to the LGBTQ community.
“I love the representation of [the] Philippines plus the movie being wlw, you guys are doing so incredibly well and watching the campaign grow so quick[ly] makes me so proud,” they pointed out.
Studio Heartbreak first released the film’s full trailer on their Kickstarter page last week.
Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform for creative projects, will finance the animated film, after it surpassed its goal of US$ 60,000 before June 24. As of writing, it has obtained more than US$ 217,000.
This animated short is the indie animated studio’s debut film, whose release date has yet to be announced.
Voices behind the leads
Sara will be voiced by Filipino voice actress Vanille Velasquez who is known for her role as Neon of Valorant and Zeri of League of Legend.
On Twitter, Velasquez expressed her gratitude to Studio Heartbreak for entrusting her the role of Sara.
“Not only is this project drop dead gorgeous, it also has a whole lot of heart,” she said.
Filipino-Ashkenazi Jewish Dawn Bennett will be lending her voice to Sirena. Bennett is known for her works in anime series like My Hero Academia and in video games such as Fire Emblem.
“The work the studio has put into this is absolutely impeccable and I’m in awe with every frame they show me. And I’ve never gotten to speak Tagalog in anything before, either! And as a half Filipino this all has me REELING,” she tweeted as she announced her participation in The Lovers.
Studio Heartbreak
The Lovers is the fruit of the teamwork of college students who run the internet-based company.
They joined forces to establish Studio Heartbreak in 2022 after being turned down by every art internship they applied for.
These “twenty-somethings” students have been built up by a team of animation professionals who have worked with animation studios like Powerhouse, Pierrot, Mappa Studio, and The Line.
