The Bleacher

A SXSW Midnight Short Film about a mysterious woman and her quest to discover a missing sock.

May 21, 2025 - 19:30

Featured in the Midnight Short Programme at SXSW 2024, The Bleacher by Adam Wilder and Nicole Daddona is easily one of the most bizarre films we’ll showcase on S/W this year. This strange eight-minute animation follows a leather-clad woman at a laundrette, determined to recover a missing sock. As we join her on this peculiar quest, we encounter dancing dolphins, surprise musical numbers, and an unforgettable backstory.

For such a surreal short, it’s only fitting that Wilder and Daddona would introduce the inspiration behind their film in an equally surreal manner. “When we first moved to L.A., not having a washer and dryer felt like a major inconvenience – until we stepped into Bubble Wash, a one-star Yelp-reviewed laundromat from hell. That’s where we met her. She had a painfully tight red bun, black leather from head to toe, and wraparound sunglasses – the kind you get after your eyes are dilated. She wore them indoors. At night.”

They eventually named her ‘The Bleacher’, inspired by the ever-present gallon of bleach she carried under one arm. The pair quickly became obsessed – at first just observing her, then, as they put it, “imagining the life that led her here.” It’s a fanciful, darkly poetic origin story for the film, and whether you believe it or not hardly matters. What’s certain is that The Bleacher is the kind of film that’s impossible to forget.

“Her skin glowed like a Kubrick film. Her hands: spotless white rubber gloves. In one arm, a gallon of bleach. In the other, a massive black umbrella” – Wilder and Daddona describing their main character

While much of the short’s lasting impression stems from its bizarre premise, its equally distorted visual style is just as crucial to its impact. Featuring deliberately grotesque 3D animation with a tactile, stop-motion feel, the film’s off-kilter aesthetic perfectly complements its unsettling storyline.

Though The Bleacher marks Wilder and Daddona’s first foray into animation, it was originally conceived as a live-action piece – until they stumbled upon the work of Barney Abrahams online. “His style hit us like a lightning bolt – perfect for our eerie story,” the duo explains. With Daddona crafting the character designs in 2D, Abrahams then brought them into three-dimensional life using Blender. Like the story itself, the film’s visual world is strange, striking, and impossible to shake.

What makes The Bleacher a must-have for us at S/W is its unapologetic distinctiveness. It’s not an easy or traditionally pleasing watch – narratively or visually – but it’s the type of film that crawls into your headspace and refuses to leave. We’ve never seen anything like it before and will probably never will again – it’s a true original.