
“For Me, Less is More”: DP Anna Smoronova on Bubble & Squeak

Bubble & Squeak, about a married couple accused of smuggling cabbages in a country where cabbage is illegal, marks the feature film debut of Evan Twohy. The film will premiere in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
Anna Smoronova (The Killing of a Journalist), served as the film’s director of photography. Below, she explains how the film’s similarity to some of her favorite filmmakers hooked on her first read of the script and elaborates on the visual aesthetic, including the influence of Henri Rousseau.
See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here.
Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job?
Smoronova: I remember the first time I read the script. After reading it, I thought, “What the actual fuck?!” The story was completely absurd, but at the same time, it was a genre I really love. I’m a huge fan of Yorgos Lanthimos, Ari Aster and Ulrich Seidl, and this script had a lot of similar elements, so I was beyond thrilled that it ended up on my desk.
I also remember the first time Evan and I spoke about the film. He told me about how he had been working on it for several years and how the script had evolved from being a stage play to a fully developed screenplay. I remember creating a very short moodboard to show him. We ended up talking for quite some time, finding that we had so much in common. From what I could tell, he was a generous and kind person, which was extremely important to me. It’s not just about being creative, but also about the quality of time you spend with someone you’re going to be locked up in a foreign country with. You can’t be truly creative if you’re not getting along with the people you work with. When those relationships cause stress and waste your time, it leaves you feeling drained and makes it hard to focus and create. But I didn’t feel that way at all with him, which is why Evan and I ended up working together on this project.
Filmmaker: What were your artistic goals on this film, and how did you realize them?
Smoronova: Evan and I both agreed that this unique script, originally written as a theater play, needed a more controlled and stylized look. At the same time, we knew that elements of theater aesthetics couldn’t be too heavy, as this could distract the viewer from the important and intimate moments. We made the decision to maintain the absurdity while keeping things grounded.
Filmmaker: How did you want your cinematography to enhance the film’s storytelling and treatment of its characters? Why did you choose the camera that you did?
Smoronova: In some crucial moments, specifically the ones where Delores and Declan are fleeing from law, we aimed to create a feeling that the characters were moving through a space where each step could be observed. By using a wide lens, we were able to capture these moments on a grand scale, while also creating distortion in perspective. This effect was intended to heighten the tension and visually reinforce the feelings of fear and paranoia the characters were experiencing. On the flip side, we shot all of our intimate moments on longer, tighter lenses, where we focused more on emotions, intimacy and closeness. This brings me to the camera choice for this project. We shot on an Alexa Mini LF large format sensor, which captures a much broader range of details and creates an image with more depth. This camera and lens choice was crucial for us because it provided the rich, cinematic feel we wanted to bring to the screen.
Filmmaker: Were there any specific influences on your cinematography, whether they be other films, or visual art, of photography, or something else?
Smoronova: As I mentioned, I love the work of Ulrich Seidl and Yorgos Lanthimos. Their work has inspired me a lot throughout the process of creating this movie. Evan always told me that he wanted the woods to feel very vivid and beautiful, so we were searching for paintings that would have a similar vibe.
One of our inspirations was artist Henri Rousseau. His work is characterized by simplicity, vivid colors and fantastical, dreamlike landscapes. That’s exactly the kind of magic Evan and I wanted to bring to the story.
Filmmaker: What were the biggest challenges posed by production to those goals?
Smoronova: One of the biggest challenges on this film was the weather. We shot our film in Estonia, a country with very unpredictable weather, even in the summer. Our film features many dialogue scenes set in the woods while the characters are walking, so maintaining consistency throughout the shooting schedule was quite challenging. There were instances that when we started filming a scene under sunny weather, the sun would suddenly disappear in the middle of the day. Fortunately, we always managed to get through the scenes with a clean slate, but it was definitely challenging.
Filmmaker: Describe your approach to lighting.
Smoronova: Most of the scenes in our film take place outdoors in a country where the sun never sets [in summer]. In general, I wanted to create contrast. When we’re outside, the forest feels welcoming, colorful, and playful–at the same time, a bit chaotic. In contrast, the interiors are more intimate. Here, you can escape from the sunlight, and it all gives you space to think about the important things you’re running away from.
Sometimes we used very small light sources to give the actors more space to feel comfortable, especially since they had a lot of dialogue to get through. I didn’t want to overstep their territory, even though our framings were pretty precise, which already gave them some limitations. I just felt there needed to be a balance. In general, I don’t like when a cinematographer tries to take over the story and show off their ego through unnecessarily over-lit scenes. For me, less is more, and that’s something I always try to stick to in my work.
TECH BOX
Film Title: Bubble & Squeak
Camera: Alexa Mini LF
Lenses: Canon FD TLS rehoused, Laowa 12mm,Optimo 24-290mm.
Color Grading: Marina Starke
Processing: Digital