Lines In The Sand is a poignant short animation that explores cycles of abuse and the ambiguity of understanding and judgment when faced with the complexities of the human condition. Denial, avoidance, acceptance and blame are explored through the basic narrative of a singular relationship.

Using a sparse visual aesthetic and utilizing traditional hand drawn techniques Lines In The Sand is a moving meditation on the way in which such human conflicts are defined and addressed. Written by Artist and Art Psychotherapist Corrina Eastwood and animated by Gavin Round using pencil on paper, Lines In The Sand seeks to reflect the grey areas between black and white and how we decide where lines are to be drawn.

Drawing on writer Corrina Eastwood’s experience of working therapeutically with both victims and perpetrators of abuse, Lines In The Sand developed as an idea within the context of a society that in part manages and acknowledges it’s ‘monstrous’ acts with irrational judgment and fear.

We wanted to take a neutral look at these difficult issues, removing any sense of sensationalism to explore and reflect upon, perhaps in a more abstract way, the ambiguity of such judgment and fear when faced with complex and distressing issues.

We decided on a sparse, minimal look for the film and chose animation as it allowed us to focus purely on the characters, in a sense isolating them from their environment as a way to remove context.

Lines In The Sand was shot on digital video and rotoscoped by hand using pencil and paper and was a self-funded project. It is the first film in an intended series from husband and wife team Gavin Round and Corrina Eastwood.