IndieWire — January 11, 2023
‘Steakhouse’ Uses a Classic Disney Animation Technique to Serve Up Meaty Domestic Drama

A meaty domestic drama with a deliciously dark twist, animated short film “Steakhouse” offers a tableside view of what Slovenian filmmaker Špela Čadež calls “psychological violence.”

The 10-minute short, which has garnered more than 30 awards on its 150-plus-festival run and was recently shortlisted for an Oscar, uses smart cinematic storytelling to unspool the story of married couple Franc and Liza.

Liza, detained at work, anxiously hurries home for a special birthday dinner that has been timed to her exact arrival. Increasingly frenzied jazz (by Slovenian experimental lo-fi musician Andrej Fon’s Olfamož) floods the kitchen as Franc’s meticulous preparations boil over into rage at Liza’s tardiness. Spitefully ruining the meal, Franc fills their small apartment with billowing clouds of toxicity, then forces Liza to witness his violent mastication — rendered in hideous closeup — but his maliciousness proves to be his own undoing. No spoilers here, but the ending lands on a nasty final course that is oddly soothing and entirely earned. (Read full story…)