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Short Film Review: Tiger and Ox (2019) by Kim Seung-hee

"Tiger and Ox" by Kim Seung-hee
"Tiger and Ox" by Kim Seung-hee
The South Korean director paid homage to her mother with this eight-minute animation.

The short animated film “” by has already been shown at various international film festivals such as Palm Springs, Huesca or San Diego. Most recently, presented it in this year's International Short Film Competition.

“Tiger and Ox” is screening at DOKLeipzig

The South Korean director paid homage to her mother with this eight-minute animation. She talks about her relationship to her dominant mother, but also tells of the social realities in her country. A single mother carries a stigma, just like her children. This was the case thirty years ago and has not changed much so far.

The title of the film refers to the Chinese animal signs. The mother is born under the sign of the tiger, the daughter under the sign of the ox. Humorously and with dynamic animations, the Kim Seung-hee presents the character traits attributed to people of the respective sign. While her mother is the strong, confident and assertive tiger woman, the daughter sees herself as a good-natured, somewhat clumsy ox. Kim gives an insight into the relationship with her mother. She describes her as strict and distant. As an independent businesswoman, she has to work hard to earn the respect of others. She cannot afford to show weakness. Apparently, this had a decisive effect on how she deals with her daughter.

Years later, after the daughter has grown up and become a self-employed, professionally independent woman herself, she can see her mother with different eyes. Both women have their say in the voice-over. The tone is conciliatory, but there is a certain vulnerability in both. One believes to sense that the social circumstances in which the family grew up have left their mark. The need to constantly justify themselves to the outside world and fight against prejudices makes it difficult for them to reveal their feelings.

The short film convinces with a stirring rhythm and an impressive reduction of means. On a monochrome yellow background, the black lines of the drawing meander. Sound and image combine with each other in a humorous and emotionally sensitive way. The whole thing resembles a dance in which two bodies move alternately towards and away from each other.

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