Break!

As hands made of colorful clay intertwine in the center of the ring, the heavy and ruthless rhythm of professional sports takes on an absurd and comical quality right before our eyes. Garri Bardin upends conventional animation conventions by kneading the soft texture of plasticine with the hardest blows. This short comedy satirizes the mentality that deems any means justified in the pursuit of victory, using clay figures and sharp humor. That strange stop-motion world, which pins the viewer against the corner of the ring with every punch, brings to the screen—in its own unique language—the test of an amateur spirit pitted against professional ambition.