2027 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Daughters Of The Late Colonel’ Director Lizzy Hobbs

Daughters of the Late Colonel is a nine-minute animated adaptation of Katherine Mansfield’s story about two middle-aged sisters adrift after their controlling father dies. Elizabeth Hobbs uses hand-pa

Even after their father’s funeral, his voice remains in the house. Daughters of the Late Colonel is a 9-minute animated film about sisters Constantia and Josephine, who lose their controlling, ill-tempered father and must finally begin deciding their own lives. They do not immediately enjoy their newfound freedom. The habits and fear formed by years of living according to their father’s rules continue to hold them back even after his absence.

When Tidying the House Becomes a Moment of Change

The sisters must create a new order as they deal with their father’s belongings and the household chores. An unexpected visit in the film becomes the catalyst for the two to lean on each other and find the courage to change. Going beyond the original story’s ending, the animated sisters reveal themselves through joy and in unexpected ways, rather than remaining oppressed by the authority of the past.

The Lingering Traces of Oppression in Hand-Drawn Lines

Elizabeth Hobbs adapted and directed the film from Katherine Mansfield’s short story of the same name, written in 1920. The film was made using animation painted directly onto paper, and its faint lines and movements visualize the tension remaining in the house and the sisters’ hesitation. Rather than fixing their expressions in place like live-action performances, it uses the shifting texture of hand-drawn images to express the sensation of memories and fear wavering.

A Literary Adaptation Focused on Two Characters

While the original story features several characters, the film narrows its focus to the relationship between the sisters and their dead father. Louise Brealey and Lucy Tregear voice Josephine and Constantia, respectively, while Simon Kunz plays Colonel Pinner and Reverend Paley. This focused structure makes it clear that the father’s death is not the end of the story, but the starting point at which the sisters first test their own choices.

Source: Quinzaine des Cinéastes film information · British Council UK Films Database · Original Cartoon Brew article