Cheatin' (2013)

I'm always hyped up for anything Plympton comes out with and his latest film, "Cheatin'", does NOT disappoint! Hell, this is his best film so far, if you ask me. It's such an even mix of all of his styles from over the years, beautifully incorporated into one terrific piece of animated art.

After saving her life during a freak bumper car accident, a  muscular pump-jockey and an introverted young book wormy woman fall madly in love. They get married and begin the ideal suburban life, though she begins noticing other women putting the 'moves' on her husband. A wedge is driven between them when a vindictive woman - of whom the husband shot down the sexual advances - snaps an incriminating looking (but, actually innocent...) photograph of the wife and shows the hubby. Distraught and suicidal, he decides to engage in a series of 'revenge affairs' at a nearby motel. When his wife finds out what he's doing, she concocts some elaborate plans to get even with him...

Plympton's animation style and temperament have been pretty diverse over the years - ranging from his first feature, "The Tune" - an 'experimental' musical that boggled the mind as to what ONE animator could achieve, virtually single-handedly - throughout his more sophomoric 'sex and violence' phase, with films like "Mutant Aliens" and "I Married a Strange Person". As of late, Plympton has shifted over into a more 'elegant' juncture with his work - with "Idiots & Angels" and his most recent film, "Cheatin'" - using his familiar hand-drawn style with a softer, more... cultured aesthetic, I'd say. "Cheatin'" is easily his most "cinematic" and harrowing film - telling a awesomely dramatic AND funny story through extremely expressive, non-speaking characters and physical, surreal interpretation. While "Idiots & Angels" was his take on the 'noir' genre, "Cheatin'" goes with a more luminous visual 'flair' and a very Italian, operatic emphasis that definitely compliments Plympton's abject love story.

The film also has a lot of 'dark' touches - namely, the character designs, which are often distinctively malformed - almost praying mantis-like with some. There's also some hilarious toon-sex and a touch of violence in spots - though, not quite as off-the-wall as some of his previous works. Also, the ending shifts into a strange science-fiction climax almost out of nowhere, which was interesting...

"Cheatin'" is a masterful, scrupulous piece of timeless animation that further facilitates Plympton's undeniable genius. Check it out!