Bill Plympton is a long time contributor to independent animation, and he is back this year with his 7th animated feature film Cheatin’, which is sure to strike a chord with many.
In a fateful bumper car collision, Jake and Ella meet and become the most loving couple in the long history of Romance. But when a scheming “other” woman drives a wedge of jealousy into their perfect courtship, insecurity spells out an untimely fate. With only the help of a disgraced magician and his forbidden “soul machine,” Ella takes the form of Jake’s numerous lovers, desperately fighting through malfunction and deceit as they try to reclaim their destiny.
This visually surprising film takes us back to pen and paper days, when every stroke of the pencil was used to convey all of a character’s emotional range with limited audio input. Cheatin’ takes advantage of its limited audio and propels the viewers into a completely ‘surreal adult animated tale of love’.
While this content is not suitable for all ages, nor for all tastes, it is suitable for those with an indie palate. The film opens in NYC at Village East Cinema on April 3rd with rollout dates in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, Denver and Portland—just to name a few. If you live in a city/town not named above, you can always ask your local indie house to request the film via Cheatin’s website or vlog.
A Rotoscoper full review will be available closer to the release of the film.
If you are still not convinced this film is for you, check out Mr. Bill Plympton describing the project on the production vlog they have set up prior to the film’s completion:
Cheatin’ Production Blog – Episode One – Intro from Bill Plympton on Vimeo.
Edited by: Kelly Conley