Steakhouse

Špela Čadež reminds you just how powerfully animation can evoke strong emotions in adults as well as children in her latest mini psychodrama, which is certainly not for kids. Music is also a powerful tool as the jazzy discord of Tomaz Grom Olfamoz's score offers a jangly contrast to what, at first glance, seems to be the simple act of a man, Franc, cooking a steak.

The steak's recipient, Lisa, is still at work - and she's about to be late home courtesy of another surprise. Čadež hints at tension even before Franc begins to go to extreme measures, there's something about the tiredness around Lisa's eyes that speaks to more than just work exhaustion, something about the set of his jaw even before he looks at the kitchen clock.

Everything is slightly fuzzy to begin with but it becomes almost impossible to make out anything once the steak is burnt. Čadež employs the gouts of smoke to disturbing effect, fogging up the action and making passive aggression feel like a punch. With the mood underpinned by a sharply observed and economical script from Gregor Zorc we watch as the dining table becomes a proxy for violence we don't overtly witness, with punishment and revenge both served.