During our walks through a city, most of the time we are focused on a certain task or aim we want to reach, which makes us sometimes blind to those people and place we pass by. It is strange how close observation of something we consider familiar may even bring forth a new form of understanding the world, once we have learned to identify it or give it a name. It may have been this kind of experience that inspired director Redic Hsu's short animated feature “Wander in the Dark”, which won Best Animated Short Film at Golden Horse Film Festival in 2016. Furthermore, it is a story about people, animals and places finding their identity within our contemporary urban landscape.
Wander in the Dark is screening at Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival
The five-minute-short follows the journey of a stray cat in an unknown city. While looking for food and shelter, the animal also looks to the attention of various pedestrians passing it by, but to no avail. Because the cat has become such an integral part of the city, no one really notices it, until one day an opportunity arises.
According to the director's own description, his work mainly focuses on social issues, from politics to environmental and even the energy crisis. While it may be tough to pinpoint one of these topics in the five minutes of “Wander in the Dark”, there is most certainly a strong theme here centering on our perception of the world which may often be quite limited. Redic Hsu's way of storytelling and the expressive, minimalist animation heighten the impression of the feature being a parable about identity and how one might get lost in the modern world, forgetting his/her name and origin, until someone comes along and reminds us. This is done quite wonderfully through various images, for example, the idea of the cat becoming part of the city's texture and architecture, making her hard to spot for the viewer as well as the people that pass her by. Additionally, Bibo Kang's music and sound effects stress the journey of the animal within the story, from being sad to finally have some kind of hope.
In the end, “Wander in the Dark” is an impressive short feature, consisting of very expressive animation and contemporary themes. Redic Hsu's focus on social issues comes across in this parable about modern life, how we sometimes ignore what is right in front of us.
