''Geraldine'' is a 2000 French

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

, directed by , while he was attending Arts Decos'. Critical reception has been positive, and the film has been honored in multiple festivals. The story follows a former man who must adjust to her new life after inexplicably waking up one morning as a woman. In 2004, the film was released on a DVD compilation of French animated short films.

Plot

Geraldine wakes up with a loud shriek. She had gone to bed as a man named Gerald. Somehow, overnight, she has undergone a mysterious transformation. Now an attractive woman, Geraldine abashedly looks over her new body. She seeks help from a

medical professional A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (suc ...

, but her story is not taken seriously. The next morning Geraldine calls up an old girlfriend, who agrees to meet. While waiting in a

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, Geraldine draws unwanted attention from a group of men playing

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. Resenting this, she attempts to display her own athleticism, but embarrasses herself. Struggling to assume her new role in life, Geraldine learns the many facets of womanhood from her former girlfriend, while continuing to fend off male advances. The two friends go to a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

together, and Geraldine attends

therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

sessions. Although beginning to become more comfortable in her femininity, she has to endure horny, leering men in her corporate office. Upon being

sexually harassed Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

by her boss, she

headbutt A headbutt is a targeted strike with the head, typically (when intentional) involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of an opponent, such as ...

s him. The old girlfriend is startled and upset to discover that Geraldine has taken a new

modeling A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

job. Geraldine does extraordinarily well in this profession however, attaining worldwide fame. She appears on the cover of renowned publications and channels her celebrity-status into political influence. After many years, Geraldine has decided to marry a man. Her old girlfriend rushes her to the ceremony, driving a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

. As Geraldine reaches the end of the

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

aisle, a storm gathers overhead. Lightning strikes, and Geraldine transforms back into a man. Upon seeing the bearded Gerald, everyone gasps. Still wearing his

wedding dress A wedding dress or bridal gown is the dress worn by the bride during a wedding ceremony. The color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants. In Western cultures and Anglo-Sa ...

, Gerald feels his body and lets out a loud scream. Leaving the ceremony together, Gerald and his old girlfriend reconnect as a couple and eventually start a large family.

Production

Montreuil - Salon du livre jeunesse 2011 - Arthur de Pin - 001

Arthur de Pins made ''Geraldine'' while attending Arts Decos' in Paris. According to ''

Campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...

'', many viewers have had strong and differing reactions to the film, some accusing it of sexism, others hailing it as feminist. de Pins however, who has no sisters and attended an all boys school in his youth, was "merely having fun" with the film and exploring his curiosity in the opposite sex. In a review for ''Short of the Week'', Ian Lumsden posited that the film was rendered in

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and that

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was likely used for

compositing Compositing is the process or technique of combining visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live-action shooting for compositing is variously ca ...

Reception

Amid Amidi of ''

Cartoon Brew Cartoon Brew is an animation news website created by Amid Amidi and animation historian Jerry Beck that was launched in 2004. Cartoon Dump It also created ''Cartoon Dump'', a weekly podcast showing poorly made TV cartoons featuring ''Mystery Sc ...

'' and independent animator Celia Bullwinkel have both expressed affinity for the film. Ron Diamond of ''

Shoot In botany, a plant shoot consists of any plant stem together with its appendages, leaves and lateral buds, flowering stems, and flower buds. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the spri ...

'' singled it out as one of the best films screened at the 2001

Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...

. Writing for ''Short of the Week'', Ian Lumsden called ''Geraldine'' a "hilarious romp" and praised de Pins' "febrile wit". Noting the film's simplistic, colorful design, he likened the animation style to "a well-crafted comic postcard". A review in ''Campaign'' highlighted the film's visual humor and "spot-on sound effects."

Accolades

The film won in the Undergraduate category at the 2001 Ottawa International Student Animation Festival, the Best School or Graduation Film award at the 2001 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, and the Video Prize at the 2001 Avanca Film Festival. It was also featured retrospectively in a 2012 travelling European film exhibition by Les Videophages and in the 2013 .

Home media

The film was released on DVD in 2004 by Lowave, as part of a compilation titled ''Metronomic & Co: French animated shorts, volume 1''.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0378011
Metronomic - Arthur de Pins
2000 animated films 2000 films 2000 LGBT-related films 2000 short films 2000s animated short films 2000s fantasy comedy films 2000s French animated films 2000 romantic comedy films 2000s romantic fantasy films 2000s sex comedy films Bisexuality-related films Films about activists Films about fashion Films about sexual harassment Films about shapeshifting Films about weddings French animated fantasy films French animated short films French independent films French LGBT-related films French romantic comedy films French sex comedy films LGBT-related romantic comedy films LGBT-related sex comedy films LGBT-related short films 2000s political comedy films Student films Transgender-related films