In a trash-filled city, a homeless woman's encounter with a fish takes an unexpected turn. Elly Stern directs “Waste Away,” a beautifully designed and executed stop-motion animated film, an allegory of motherhood in various forms, and a depiction of the overabundance, wastefulness and decay of modernity. The woman living in an alley next to an overflowing dumpster spots a discarded, uneaten fish in the garbage. When she swallows it, it comes to life inside of her, forcing her into the natural world, itself mistreated and discarded. A portrait of human irresponsibility and social/ecological collapse — the darkness is rendered with meticulous care and artistry (it took 10 months to make) — Stern’s film is a reckoning, textured, evocative and surreal. -KA. Director & Animator: Elly Stern. Musical score: Daniel Hass. Sound design: Elly Stern. Sound mixing: Kyle Jones. Produced at Massachusetts College of Art & Design.