NewsBytes Recommends: 'Bao' on Disney+ Hotstar—engaging tale dissects parental love
The short film Bao—winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 91st Oscars—is a gentle, sensitive, engaging cinematic piece. It has an all-too-familiar storyline, and yet, its presentation is so mature and grounded, that you can't take your eyes off the screen. Bao asks for only seven minutes of your time, and in return, leaves you heavily ruminating.
Follows an old, lonely mother and her dream
The Pixar film, directed by Domee Shi, follows an old Chinese-Canadian mother, who is grappling with extreme loneliness after her son moves out. One day, while she enjoys a meal of baozi with her husband, a bao/dumpling unexpectedly comes alive, and the woman then cares for it, nourishes it, and "raises" it until it "grows up." The entire story unfolds as a dream sequence.
Several mature themes are at the forefront here
Bao, not impeded by its brief runtime, expertly explores and dissects the empty nest syndrome. It's particularly poignant and emotionally resonant in Asian countries where parents' duality often confuses and traps children standing on the precipice of adulthood. They want their kids to fly but also want to clip their wings. Bao lays bare the kind of love that cages you.
Significance of the house as a character
When you see the couple's house, you immediately realize that it seems too big for them. A home that would have once bustled with energy, now gnaws at them, especially the mother, because of how hollow, haunting, and painfully empty it seems. People still live there, but happiness has been replaced by ache. The house, thus, becomes an essential character too.
The narrative is tightly knit and dense
In the seven minutes that we see the mother, we already know everything we need to know to understand her. Her fears, aspirations, vulnerabilities, and the circumstances that have shaped her become evidently clear. The animation is soothing and placid, the colors instantly pop out, and once the film invites you into its world, it doesn't let you go.
Watch the film on Disney+ Hotstar
Bao doesn't villainize either the mother or the son, because both of them are right in their own ways. They may not completely fathom one another, but as is the case in relationships forged by love, they always find a middle ground. The film unfolds like an allegorical dream but it's a reality we know all too well. Watch it on Disney+ Hotstar.
