Laura Dooney

Away with the Fairies is a mixed-media short film combining live action, stop-motion animation, puppetry, and performance. Conceptualised through an interest in psychological integration, this film explores the idea of the “shadow self,” imagining how it might manifest physically as a fantasy character. As a stop-motion artist, I wanted to use the tactile, intricate qualities of clay and puppetry to embody the complexities of a person’s uncovered internal state.

The film follows Finn, a repressed young man who returns to his childhood home and re-encounters the drag queen doll his father threw out when he was a child. The drag queen, as a symbol of self-expression, carries the narrative through movement and crafted fantasy rather than dialogue, reflecting the isolating struggle of navigating queer identity within a rural landscape.