Modelling Clay Against Gender Violence

Ten years after finishing high school, Mar and Álex meet again. What seems like a casual encounter turns into a reckoning. Mar has not forgotten that Álex shared an intimate image of her "as if it were just a game". For him, it was a teenage prank; for her, it was an assault that marked her life and whose echo still accompanies her.

This is the premise of 'The Same', the new short film by the thematic channel Cosmo and the production company Algarabía Animación, which uses innovative 'stop-motion' animation with clay characters to raise awareness from a format not usually associated with such themes. Its premiere is scheduled for this Tuesday, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, at 10:00 PM.

The story of 'The Same' delves into an alarming reality: more than 73% of women who use the internet have experienced some form of digital violence, from harassment on social networks to the dissemination of intimate images without consent, according to data from the Ministry of Equality. The wounds left by this violence are not virtual: they affect the security, self-esteem, and well-being of the victims. In the most extreme cases, they lead to critical situations. Recent studies indicate that 40% of women who commit suicide had been victims of gender violence, a phenomenon already recognised as "gender-based suicide". The Women's Health Observatory adds another chilling statistic: 80% of these victims had considered suicide as the only way out, and 65% had attempted it one or more times.

The collaboration between Cosmo and Algarabía Animación stems from previous projects, and it was precisely the social aspect of the channel that gave rise to the short film. "This short film is born from Cosmo's social cause. As a production company, we had already worked with them, so we proposed making a short film about gender violence with clay characters," explains Tomás Conde, director and executive producer.

The choice of 'stop-motion' is not accidental. Algarabía, a Galician studio with over 30 years of experience, has made this technique its hallmark. Their filmography includes 14 short films, series, and the film 'Witchcraft'. Their mastery of modelling and frame-by-frame animation gives the short film an intimate and human visual strength, which multiplies the impact of the story.

For Virginia Curiá, the intention was clear from the start: "Being faithful to the script, I wanted it to be seen that, although Mar has suffered a significant trauma, she has overcome the damage she suffered and has moved forward."

The 'stop-motion' animation technique is as artisanal as it is precise. "It involves moving the characters frame by frame. When we take 25 photos, we have one second of animation," explains Curiá. They work on a scale from 1 to 10, imagining the movements as if time were passing in slow motion. Every expression, every gesture, every mouth, and every look is carefully adjusted to synchronise them with the voices, recorded beforehand.

But behind the technical meticulousness lies an emotional objective. "One of our goals is for the viewer to forget they are watching clay characters," adds Conde. "Not to think about the technique, but to reflect on what these characters are telling. That is crucial for achieving that communication and empathy."

In 'The Same', they do not speak of puppets, but of performers. "Mar and Álex are like actors: they interpret, feel, suffer, laugh," explains the team. They are made with Jobi clay - the same sold in bookstores and supermarkets - and have internal structures that allow them to be manipulated. The mouths are interchangeable to achieve natural dialogue; the eyes, made of resin, include a tiny hole that allows the pupil to be moved with a pin. The hands, one of the elements that suffer the most, are replaced practically in every shot.

'The Same' not only denounces one of the most invisible contemporary violences; it also opens a space to talk about repair and the victims' ability to rebuild themselves. The animation allows addressing a tough subject without losing sensitivity, and the short film's intimate approach invites the viewer to reflect on responsibilities, consequences, and silences.

With an artisanal aesthetic, the new production by Cosmo and Algarabía Animación becomes a necessary piece: a reminder that behind every image, behind every click, there are real lives. And wounds that, although not always visible, leave deep scars.