The images, dialogue and music all work together to tell a lovely story – billed as an animated documentary – about the experiences of several immigrant couples in Amsterdam, where Awadish has been living, studying and working for years. Awadish is a graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem and went to the Netherlands to get a master’s degree from the St. Joost School of Art & Design.
The couples speak in their own voices and are portrayed as bears, in arresting visuals that are far from cutesy and convey the intense feelings of the couples: their longing for each other when they are apart; the feelings of alienation at living in an unfamiliar place; their joy when they finally do get to see each other, either after a long separation or at the end of a workday; what it means to build a new home; and the quiet rituals they use to demonstrate their love for one another. It’s moving in a way that is the polar opposite – fitting, given that some of the bears are polar bears – of the usual kitsch about great love and romance.
The animation is analogue and uses an unusual and effective technique of drawing with oil pastels on printed videos. The combination of video and painting emphasizes the difference of the drawn character and the filmed surroundings that Awadish felt conveyed a feeling of foreignness.
She was inspired to make the film partly because of her own experiences when her partner moved to Amsterdam to be with her.
Bear with Me has been shown in dozens of film festivals around the world, and won the Best Animation Award in the Jerusalem Film Festival; the Fantastic Award in Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film; the #ThisIsEU – European Values Award in the AnimaSyros International Animation Festival, Greece; and the Best Animation Award at the Ce l’ho Corto Film Festival, Italy.
Awadish is also a curator of different programs for film festivals and leads creative workshops, while also working as an independent illustrator.
Those who are part of a couple can enjoy the film with their loved ones, and singles can find something to hope for that will help them grin and bear Valentine’s Day.