A Dog Unpacks A Toxic Friendship To His Lobster Therapist In ‘The Truth Rejects You, Cornelius’ Trailer

The Spanish trio of Hampa Studio, Mr. Miyagi Films, and Ruibarbo Films has released the trailer for The Truth Rejects You, Cornelius, a new mixed-technique short from directors Marc Torices and Khris Cembé.

Inspired by a popular Spanish graphic novel, the short follows Cornelius, a perpetually mistreated dog attempting to explain his troubled relationship with Avalutsa the frog to his psychologist, a talking lobster. As their conversation progresses, Cornelius offers several conflicting versions of events, and increasingly grotesque details begin to emerge.

Adapted from characters in Torices’ 2023 graphic novel La alegre vida del triste perro Cornelius (The Happy Life of the Sad Dog Cornelius), the short combines 2D and stop-motion animation to translate the artist’s shifting comic-book aesthetics to the screen. Torices and Cembé co-wrote the film.

The project first caught our eye as a clear standout at Weird Market 2023. A year later, it received the event’s Movistar Plus+ Short Film Project Award. Now finished, it will make its Spanish debut in the international competition at the 71st Seminci Valladolid International Film Festival, which runs October 23-31.