Animation in Asia is associated primarily with Japan, but it is not the only country on the continent producing animated pictures worth watching. One of the examples is the internationally recognized “The Missing” (2023) directed by Carl Joseph Papa or the less known “The Guardian” (2017) directed by Busifan. In China, which is currently one of the largest film markets, a critical role in the context of animation plays the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, which has produced around 500 movies since its establishment in 1957. The studio’s latest picture, “A Story about Fire”, written and directed by Li Wenyu, had its world premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. His shorts were screened at numerous festivals, with “Go to City Ele” (2015) being awarded at the 31st Warsaw International Film Festival.
A Story About Fire is sceening at Berlin International Film Festival
Loosely based on the legend of Qiang, a minority living in southwest China, the story focuses on a monkey who goes on a journey with his canine friend. Their goal is to find the Holy Mountain and uncover the secret of warmth. As the off-screen first person narration explains the main character’s emotions and thoughts, he and Doggy fight for survival in a harsh and unforgiving environment.
Even though the protagonist tells the audience who he is at the beginning, the how and why of his mission is only explained later, which might leave the audience a bit confused, but intrigued at the same time. Divided into eight chapters, which allows the film to maintain the appropriate rhythm, the story touches on current and important topics, such as personal growth, friendship, cooperation and rejection. Not being accepted in their tribe, both the monkey and the dog find support and happiness in their relationship. Although the movie was presented in the Generation Kplus section at Berlinale, it’s worth noting that there are a few relatively brutal and bloody scenes, making it suitable for older viewers.
The picture, which took five years to finish, is characterized by beautiful animation, hand-drawn in the traditional Chinese ink painting style. Delicate colours, with dominant white and shades of gray, perfectly reflect the simplicity of the presented story, and at the same time provide a pleasant change from animations filled with expressive colours. Voiced by Yang Haoyu, Zhou Xun, Bei Yile and Kang Chunlei, the characters are developed just enough to appear authentic and lively, but not so much as to distract from the story. Complemented by the music by folk rock band, Wild Children, as well as well-timed use of silence, the narrative forms a coherent and captivating whole.
In just 85 minutes, the director, whose mentor was Kexuan Ma, is able to skilfully present an engaging story, which is all the more impressive considering that he did most of the work himself. Minimalist, but at the same time deep and creative, the film poetically presents the hardships of life in a prehistoric time. What’s more, despite its simplicity, the story does not explain everything, which is why it encourages reflection and invites each viewer to interpret it in their own way.
