“POUR GAMES” Sadistic drinking game turns into rebellion. Animated Short Film by Patrick Smith.

Tyrannical wine glasses participate in a sadistic game. The game is interrupted by a self-sacrificial rebellion. After the oppressors are vanquished, a new game is quickly reconstituted among the former victims.

Another installment in the “POUR” Series, set in a metaphorical world of living wine glasses. This story explores a twisted game of power dynamics, where two masters dominate smaller subjects of the same species. The only way to end the game is to force the masters to lose interest. A stubborn individual glass, number 95, accomplishes this by initiating a self-sacrificial protest, shattering his own head with his fist. This becomes a contagion as the others see the results. They all smash their own heads gleefully and the game becomes impossible to play. Realizing this, the masters move on, no longer interested in playing the diabolical drinking game.

Awards:
-Winner, ASIFA-East Animation Festival (USA)
-Best Animation, Grand Rapids Comic-Con (USA)
-Best Animation, Florida Shorts (USA)
-Best Animation, Mobile Animation Film Festival (USA)

Official Selection:
-Wild Rivers Film Festival 2024 (USA)
-Walla Walla Movie Crush (USA)
-ReAnimania Int. Animation Film & Comics Art Festival of Yerevan
-Palm Springs Animation Festival (USA)
-AniMate - Australia Animation Film Festival
-Chester Animation Festival (UK)
-Santa Monica Film Festival (USA)
-Alameda International Film Festival (USA)
-TIAF Tbilisi International Animation Festival (Georgia)
-Festival Cartón (Buenos Aires)
-Woodstock Film Festival (USA) *World Premiere @WoodstockFilmFestival
-Raleigh Film and Art Festival (USA)
-Animasyros Animation Festival (Greece) @animasyrosanimationfestival
-Spark Animation Festival (Canada) @SPARKCG
-Savannah Film Festival (USA)
-Orlando Film Festival (USA)
-Ojai Film Festival (USA) @ojaifilmfest
-Warsaw Animation Festival (Poland)
-Animation Chico Film Festival (USA)
-Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival (USA)
-East Lansing Film Festival (USA)

Written/Directed/Animated by Patrick Smith
Produced by Kaori Ishida
Associate Producer Eason Lu
Associate Producer Anita Zheng
Associate Producer Michael McClain @studiomiguel
Sound Effects/Foley by Patrick Smith
Backgrounds by Tony Curanaj
Music by @ArgyOttas (name of song: "Waltz of the Dead")
Special Gratitude:
Claude O’steen, Thomas Shelford, @NateMilton @twinsareweird Barry Rubin, Tim Miller, Tso Tne, Flying Film Festival, Jessica Nightingale, Mascha Stroobant, Mark Nettles Elliott, Alejandra Avalow, Pe Joyy, Shawny Animation.
Premiered exclusively on Youtube.
#patricksmith #pour585 #pourgames #animation

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[Abdullah_Mohamed]

3:40
*Today's rebel is tomorrow's tyrant*

*George Orwell*

[temerson]

The sound! Those little glass scraping sfx when they’re moving are so subtle but perfect

[willowstarfruit]

the realization if they're already broken they can't BE broken is empowering and disturbing at the same time

[sempermiser.]

I adore this. In the end they are all satisfied that they (in a way) had the freedom to choose whether they wanted to shatter by their own accord. but still, their fate doesn’t change :( poor cuppies. So bittersweet

[NaridTheNighthunter]

This animation really does seem analogous to wars in general. Whether it be a political conflict, a territorial conflict, or a corporate conflict, people who consider themselves in charge will just throw people they deem "lesser" at each other regardless of the damage, so long as it gives the "higher-ups" a chance to feel superior against one another.

[NaibIdigov]

i love how the wine glasses always calmly whisper 'no' while they are in a life or death situation😂😂😂

[MiniiPockets]

so.. They shattered themselves.. To avoid getting shattered?




ABSOLUTELY LIFE CHA-

[twentyfourKK]

1:15 the “no” followed by a very loud smash makes me think that they both probably knew each other

[HaydenWR]

SECRET WORDS WHE 2 GLASSES GET SMASHED:

0:13 "???"
0:46 "THERE IS NO COMING TO CONSCIOUSNESS WITHOUT PAIN"
1:18 "USED, EXPLOIDED, DISCARDED, ABUSE"
2:11 "PUTAN x12, POWER ONLY EXISTS WHERE THERE IS SOMEONE *OR SOMETHING* TO RULE OVER"
2:29 SAME THING AS LAST ONE WITHOUT PUTAN
2:41 same thing
2:45 "THERE IS NO COMING TO CONSCIOUSNESS WITHOUT PAIN"
2:47 "PAIN"
2:48 "PAIN"

[justapsycho]

This is the definition of a bittersweet ending. They won but at what cost? They won but did they really change anything? It’s a lot like the ending of Animal Farm where nothing really changed when you get down to it, hence why the other glass grabbed a sheet of paper. It’s symbolic of how they’re gonna keep shattering until they ultimately destroy themselves. But nonetheless, this was very well done and I loved seeing those big wine glasses finally being defeated without too much backlash. It put a smile on my face as normally they win and bully the others in ways I personally found disturbing. I also loved that smiling of shattering themselves. It was so selfless and honestly heartwarming when the first mug shattered himself so the other wouldn’t be, and returned the favor henceforth smiling all the way. They “shattered” the tyranny and it was truly something. The sad part is that they’ll probably repeat the cycle because there’s always somebody out there who will replace the tyrannical that was overthrown. Like science, if there is an empty space, then everything is drawn to that empty space to fill it. All done via air pressure. The same way a tyrant starts: pressure.

[propeg]

Sometimes it takes hurting yourself to end a deadly game.
But at the end, you save other people's lives, including yours.
Either way, another amazing video! Loved it!

[arkanearts]

An excellent commentary on the nature of rebellion of the masses, and how easily such a movement can crumble under its own weight. Great job as always!

[smallgamesplays]

this animation was so bizzare but it is really well made

[Dream_Sweet_In_Sea_Major]

3:31 after hearing nothing but the word "no" in these shorts, I'm happy that the final word said was a joyful sounding "yes." Awesome work!

[cassidavinci]

I like that in pour series there is an idea of a specie of cycle, that ends and begin again, and another detail is how you leave the free interpretation, leaving people thought what is the meaning of this, it’s a metaphor for tyranny or something else, because there is this atmosphere of dystopia. And that’s it. Very well done.

[theshellyissmallshow]

Another brilliant edition to the pour series I do live how each time the “villains” seem to become slightly more evil and menacing. I also did enjoy the fact that at the end it proved that rebellion can form from another rebellion more or less creating a cycle.
Great work and I can’t wait for the next edition

[MMMCHEPAVSIKI]

why does the beginning remind me of breaking eggs at Easter

[BloxxterT]

I'm impressed how these plenty animations were all turned into one of the most interesting art pieces you have ever animated.

[dragontheice]

i get it. Glass is fragile and really easy to break, so the wine actually makes them stronger, and that's why they grow bigger.

[something]

I love the sounds every time they break, and the shadows are amazing, and it’s kinda dark at the end on how they make their own game of breaking their arms, still it’s amazing and inspiring to a lot of people.