The short film series The Teat Beat of Sex came to our attention last year after VICE published an interview with its Latvian-American animator, Signe Baumane, under the attention-grabbing title How Women Think About Sex. To our immense pleasure, the series (from 2008) is as intelligent and funny as it is graphic. Each of the 15 short films takes a subject (like masturbation or pubic hair) and in under two minutes, delivers a punchy, creatively animated and personally philosophical take on the subject.
Baumane doesn’t fear genitalia and, if you do, perhaps her work is not for you. Some of The Teat Beat of Sex shorts are pure sex and some are more anecdotal or story-driven. We have opted to give LWLies readers a gentle introduction to Baumane by way of Graveyard, which is notable for its lack of clitoral imagery. Still, the shape-shifting visuals that represent the sensory experiences of excited characters and Baumane’s fast-paced narration are a reliable sample of the way she rolls.
Get more Little White Lies
Baumane’s debut feature is about mental illness and she claims that this subject is less taboo than sex: “When you present films about sex in front of thousands of people and then you make a film about your personal depression, depression compared to sex, it’s not as bad,” she told Little White Lies. If you like what you see below and are ready to have euphemistic delicacy around sex blown to smithereens you should track down the rest of The Teat Beat of Sex Series.
