R&A Shorts: Fairytales for Grownups

Even adults need fairy tales in their lives. The stories in this programme, which largely lean towards the dark fantasy genre, show how magic and playfulness are often precisely the elements needed to tackle serious subjects.

The protagonist of Stallion and a Crystal Ball is a young man on the cusp of sexual awakening, tormented by repressed desires. From the safety of his bedroom, he casts a spell upon the world, but eventually the bubble bursts.

Boa, which moves between temporal dimensions, introduces a young monk – perhaps straight from the Middle Ages – who is mesmerised by the glint of a modern weightlifting gym. Boa is a wickedly carnal tale of masculinity and a perverted body culture.

Her older sister is leaving for a faraway place the very next day. She cannot reveal the real reason for her departure, but tells her little sister one last bedtime story about a city swallowed up by eternal night. City of Owls, screened in Cannes this spring, constructs an inventive metaphor cloaked in the form of a fairy tale.

Orla, which concludes with explosive energy, is, as the filmmakers themselves aptly summarise, an ‘eco-feminist rap musical about justice’. It is the story of Orla, who lives in a kingdom ruled by a tyrant and rises up in resistance. With a strong nod to traditional Czech fairy-tale surrealism, Orla combines animation with live-action footage to create a unique, visually stunning whole.