Rudyard Kipling's Just So story, “The Crab That Played with the Sea,” provides ample ground for director Oscar Hudson’s interpretation of the capricious Zodiac sign, Cancer. Hudson describes the aquatic short – shot at Beast restaurant in London – as a “a dark portrayal of the mighty king crab, which, like in the story, is revealed to be much weaker than it first appears.”  

Perhaps it’s because king crabs can grow to a leg span of nearly six feet, are both prolific and predatory in their home waters of the Bering Strait, and are considered the most delicious of crustaceans. Watching as one is chosen from the tank and then weighed, it’s easy to oscillate between revulsion at the sight of the creature’s alien mouth and long appendages, and distress (perhaps to some, delight) that it is destined for the pot.  

Now Cancers, those bright children born in the summer months, play the opposite game to the king crab. Steady and dependable homebodies, they are known to hide their inner strength, and to strike when least expected – or when most fortuitous, depending on which side of the table you’re sat. 

Ananda Pellerin is a London-based writer and editor.