"Ocean. Deliver me."
— Sirena
The Lovers is an independent 2023 Dark Fantasy Thriller Romance short film made by indie animation studio Studio Heartbreak and funded through Kickstarter.
The film is set in an alternate Philippines where mythical creatures live amongst humans. It follows seafood chef Sara trying to keep her family's restaurant afloat and live up to her famous father's reputation. When planning the governor's annual inauguration dinner, Sara finds the centrepiece of the night to be a mysterious siren, whom she finds herself drawn to in a dangerous affair.
The short is currently in the funding stages and is set for a mid-2025 release.
Promo Materials: Kickstarter page
, Official Trailer
This short film contains examples of:
- Bathtub Mermaid: Sirena is trapped in a small aquarium as glimpsed in the official trailer.
- Ear Fins: Sirena possesses these, befitting her status as a siren, glimpsed in the official trailer.
- Eldritch Ocean Abyss: Sirena describes the ocean as dark and cradling in the official trailer, evoking this imagery.
- Fan Disservice: Sirena is extremely beautiful, but a brief shot in the official trailer shows her naked body slit open and surrounded by a pile of viscera.
- Fingore: In the official trailer, Sara appears to accidentally cut all her fingers off her left hand.
- Recycled In Space: The studio have outright embraced the joke that the short is "The Shape of Water but gay!".
- "It's all open... cradling... dark... water..."
