Watch the Oscar-Nominated Short Film ‘The Girl Who Cried Pearls’

There are a few Canadians among this year’s Oscar nominees, but one of the most prominent is in the Best Animated Short Film category. The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a stop-motion animated film that runs just 17 1/2 minutes and tells the story of a young boy in mid-20th-century Montreal who falls in love with a young girl whose tears turn into pearls.

The film is beautifully animated, using handmade puppets and lovingly created sets for the characters to inhabit. The colour and texture of the Montreal they have created are dusty and grimy, yet beautiful in their detail. Directors Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski were originally inspired by a prop necklace, Madame Tutli-Putli, which was also Oscar-nominated.

Featuring the voice of stalwart Canadian performer Colm Feore, the story takes a few twists and turns as the boy navigates his newfound love and his desire to escape a life of poverty. The choice is, of course, not so simple.

The film is available on the National Film Board’s website, and is embedded here for you to watch.

There is also a great behind the scenes video available via The NFB’s YouTube channel:

And now you have seen one more of this year’s Oscar nominees. This is your reminder that the National Film Board’s website is a treasure trove of films and is available to all Canadians for free.

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The Girl Who Cried Pearls