Whatever your views on extramarital relationships, it’s not a subject to be addressed lightly—so an animated film about infidelity? Cheatin’ is the latest feature by indie animator Bill Plympton (who wrote, produced, directed, and animated the film), and like much of his work, it has no dialogue but tells the story using his distinctive visual style, music, and sound effects.
Cheatin’ begins in a bygone era with an ethereal woman walking through a carnival, the eyes of every man are on her. Ella is a beauty who has closed her heart to love, preferring the company of books until she meets the manly Jake when he rescues her from a complicated bumper-car disaster. They fall in love, marry, and have an enthusiastic sex life.
Cheatin’ is full of neat, inventive ideas. There is a lively scene that illustrates the intensity of their love and sexual heat: They are sitting in the kitchen together, you see the inside of the toaster glowing, a stick of butter is melting, the coffee pot is overflowing. The opera music begins, the couple spins around the room dancing, they’re boating in the sink, the items in the fridge are singing, musicians pop out of everything, multitudes of babies come out of her nether regions and swirl in the air, and flowers bloom. The hand-drawn animation is painting-like yet pulses with energy and vibrancy.
When a scheming woman tries to sabotage their bond, it becomes the tale of a relationship gone wrong and the extremes Ella is willing to go to in order to fix it. There are some tired old gender politics here, where women are responsible for doing the work of a relationship and men are free to do as they like without consequences. And even though this is a fictional world, these janky old tropes are still hanging around. However, fans of animation and Plympton’s previous work will be pleased with this film. The drawings are playfully delightful, and the story is imaginative. 