Love Me, Fear Me – A film by Veronica Solomon

Love Me, Fear Me is a reflection on the roles we play and the shapes we take, the stages we chose, the audience we try to impress and the price of acceptance.

A metamorphic creature will stop at nothing to impress the unseen audience and avoid their dreaded silence.

Love Me, Fear Me is an arresting exploration of our insatiable appetite for social approval and acceptance.

Credits

Director: Veronica Solomon

Writer : Veronica Solomon

Music: Dascha Dauenhauer

Choreography:  Martha Hincapie Charry, Gabriel Galindez Cruz

Animation: Veronica Solomon,

Cinematography: Veronica Solomon

Sound: Julius Rülke, Erik Zaiser, Veronica Solomon

Rerecording, Mixing: Elisabeth Sommer

Lights: Florian Baumgarten

Stereoscopy Consulting & Depth Grading: Zsolt Magyari

Release date: 2018
Country: Germany
Duration: 6 min

Production notes

Love Me, Fear Me is the story of a nameless, metamorphic character who desperately yearns for the audience’s validation.

Chasing the spotlight and reinventing itself through colour, shape and style of motion, the creature will stop at nothing to impress the unseen spectators and avoid their dreaded silence. Despite the simple, stripped-back set design and lack of dialogue, the animation is utterly mesmerising and the character’s plight deeply affecting.

The creature takes on several different forms throughout the film – including this ethereal bird-like being.

“My idea was to illustrate quite a simple and basic psychological phenomenon”, Solomon shares with S/W. “Namely the need to be accepted and loved in the society and the willingness to change and adapt in order to achieve that, but also the dangers of losing one’s core psyche while trying too hard.”

To sit back and mock society’s addiction to instant gratification would be wrong of me, since I too am very much part of said society. In fact, it’s just human nature, as our brains are deeply wired to seek approval and feel accepted in a social group (or pack). But whilst social media has accelerated the process of being accepted and liked, it has also exacerbated the pain of rejection and isolation.

Awards

Student Academy Awards Finalist 2019
Student Bafta Shortlisted 2019

Audience Award – Monstra Lisbon
Audience Award – Filmkunstfest Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Best Student Film – Animator
Diploma of Jury – Insomnia Festival
Best Experimental short – Prime the Animation
Most Popular International – Primanima
Grand Prix du Relief – Courant 3D
Special Mention for a Graduation Film – ReAnimania
Young Talent Award – Animateka
Best of Animation +
Best of the Fest – Living Skies
Special Mention the Jury – BLON
Jury Special Prize – Animakom
Best Stop-Motion Animation – Animex Awards
Best Stop-Motion – Florida Animation Festival
Special Mention of the Jury – Supertoon
Special Mention Animation – Euganea Film Festival
Emerging Talent Award – Stop-Motion Montreal
Technical achievement Award – KROK
Special Mention for Clay Animation – Craft
Best Stop-Motion – Sparks CG Conference
Best Student Film – WLES
Jury special mention – Cutout Fest
Best Student Film – Andimotion
Audience award – ICONA festival
Special Mention – Animax Skopje

Biography

Veronica Solomon is director and animator at TUU-TUU-TIL shortfilm.

Born in 1980 in Tirgu Mures, Romania, she is known for her work on Night of the Leaving Dreads (2016), Love Me, Fear Me (2018) and Snuff-Movie (2005).