Raymonde or the Vertical Escape

Raymonde or the Vertical Escape — A Poetic Stop-Motion Journey by Sarah Van Den Boom

Sarah Van Den Boom’s Raymonde ou l’évasion verticale (Raymonde or the Vertical Escape) is a delicate and deeply human stop-motion short that blends humor, melancholy, and profound emotional yearning through the eyes of a lonely owl-woman. Produced by Papy3D Productions and JPL Films, this 17-minute French film has traveled the world’s festival circuit since 2018, earning critical acclaim and a nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the 2019 César Awards.

A Tale of Desire and Transformation

Raymonde, an aging owl-woman living in rural solitude, is exhausted by her small domestic world of peas, aphids, and laundry. Beneath her feathery exterior lies a longing for something more — love, connection, and the vastness of the sky. What begins as a quiet, meditative look at her everyday life soon unfolds into a surreal journey of self-discovery and transcendence.

Director Sarah Van Den Boom describes the film as a story about “desire in the broad sense — the search for a form of transcendence that would make her see the world from above and taste a kind of passion to which all her soul aspires.” Through Raymonde’s eyes, the audience explores what it means to feel confined by circumstance yet pulled by a yearning for emotional freedom.

Crafting Raymonde’s World

The film’s tactile beauty is unmistakable. Every frame is carefully sculpted, painted, and animated using traditional stop-motion techniques. The sets, built by Hugues Brière, Fabienne Collet, Martine Guérin, and Marion Le Guillou, create a richly textured environment that feels both whimsical and deeply grounded. The puppets, fabricated by David Roussel and Anna Deschamps, bring an expressive subtlety to the characters — particularly Raymonde herself, whose design conveys both fragility and quiet strength.

Cinematographer Simon Filliot captures the handcrafted textures in soft, natural light, while the film’s hybrid use of 2D compositing and atmospheric effects by Gilles Cuvelier and Thomas Machart enriches the tone with painterly depth. Composer Pierre Caillet’s gentle score underscores the emotional rhythm, weaving together the melancholy of Raymonde’s solitude with the wonder of her dreams.

A Stop-Motion Reflection on the Human Spirit

Raymonde or the Vertical Escape balances its somber mood with moments of levity and absurdity, revealing the director’s unique blend of humor and existential curiosity. The anthropomorphic storytelling evokes the warmth of classic stop-motion but pushes into more introspective and adult territory — exploring aging, sensuality, and the unending human desire to break free from life’s limitations.

Despite its heavy themes, the film ends on a note of grace and optimism. As the title suggests, Raymonde finds a kind of “vertical escape” — not through escape from life, but through a shift in perspective, a spiritual lift that allows her to finally see herself and her world from above.

Legacy and Recognition

Following its premiere, Raymonde or the Vertical Escape screened at major international festivals throughout 2018 and 2019, including Annecy, Leeds, and Brooklyn, before its online debut on Short of the Week in 2020. Critics have praised it as “a technically impressive piece filled with relatable anthropomorphized characters” and “a poignant reminder that it’s never too late to change your life and live differently.”

Van Den Boom, known for her emotionally charged animation style, continues to establish herself as one of France’s most distinctive stop-motion voices, using handcrafted imagery to explore the emotional landscapes that lie beneath the surface of ordinary lives.