Ovary-Acting (2025)

-Written by Michelle Vorob.

2025 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!

Ovary-Acting is a stop-motion animated short film by Ida Melum, combining 2D animation with a small amount of live puppeteering. 

Expertly crafted, the stop-motion animation alone is reason to watch Ovary-Acting. Now, as you may have gathered from the name, Ovary-Acting is a [quirky] story with a message. Eva (Synnove Karlsen) has a bit of an unexpected run-in with Ovy (Sofia Oxenham), one of her ovaries, during a baby shower.

Despite what you may be thinking, I did not automatically love it just because I'm a woman. I do respect the message of the film, however, and the point that women don't necessarily want to be asked if and when they're having children, or why they don't have any children. There are many reasons a woman may not have children and I don't know why I have to say this, but not every reason is pleasant or easy to talk about, nor should women be put in the position of having to explain [sometimes to a stranger] why they don't have kids. But here we [still] are. So along comes Ovary-Acting.

There were cute moments. 

Funny moments. 

Ridiculous moments.

“Just why” moments.

Relatable moments.

What I love about the story within Ovary-Acting is that Eva is just a normal woman, going about her life, when she's just kind of ambushed by an uncomfortable situation. It's very natural, very relatable, and it applies to anyone who's ever felt ambushed at social gatherings to explain themselves or share personal details, when perhaps all they wanted was to enjoy the day.

Considering the message of Ovary-Acting, I could see this short being used in Women's studies classes, sociology classes, or other educational settings to broach a discussion about women's health & childbearing.

Throughout Ovary-Acting, I was consistently and absolutely enchanted by the animation. If you enjoy stop-motion animation, or are interested in animation design, I highly suggest watching Ovary-Acting as a technical study. 

Directed by Ida Melum 

Written by Laura Jayne Tunbridge

Starring Synnove Karlsen, Sofia Oxenham, Katy Secombe, Daisy-Mae Parsons, Ellie Redshaw, Jordan John, Alex Heino, etc. 

7.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING