https://www.polygon.com/platform/am...&utm_source=twitter&__twitter_impression=true
Spoilers for the short at the jump.
Spoilers for the short at the jump.
Polygon: The polarized reactions to Pixar’s Bao are rooted in culture
- Thread starter Sibersk Esto
- Start date
No one in the theater when I saw it laughed at Bao except for the one thing that was supposed to induce laughs.
The white fiancé being a natural at making dumplings.
This
And this tweet
Are..weird. The tweets they're calling out aren't even saying it's bad, they just didn't understand the storyline and were confused by the "twist".
The characters in the short could've been any race and those people would've still been confused at the twist.
And this tweet
Are..weird. The tweets they're calling out aren't even saying it's bad, they just didn't understand the storyline and were confused by the "twist".
The characters in the short could've been any race and those people would've still been confused at the twist.
Emotional and easily digestible. Liked it way more than Incredibles 2.
Not as much as Sanjay's Super Team though!
Not as much as Sanjay's Super Team though!
i made some really good bao the other month with vegetarian char siu style tofu and vegetable filling but damn if its not effort to make filled food like that, especially with a dang yeasted dough. even more work than fiddly ass gyoza
that is all i have to add
that is all i have to add
I loved the short. Its got amazing animation and Bao is super cute.
The part where the mom eats Bao is obviously intended to shock, but virtually 60 seconds later it has a happy ending with the appearance of her real kid. Its very well done, kids just don't get the symbolism, but that part is not for them to grasp, but to just shock them a second.
I had absolutely no idea that there was an ounce of controversy over this short. I found it charming and very moving. The best thing Pixar has done in over a decade.
The internet is weird.
The internet is weird.
People laughing when she ate the dumpling have something wrong with their head. The scene was not subtle at all in conveying that it wasn't supposed to be a joke. I don't think it's a thing about whether you're in on the "cultural" aspect of the short or not.
I freaking love that animated short. It touched me in a familial way.
I wanted to hug my mother afterwards. Then I realized that I'm not even half as successful as the son was...
I wanted to hug my mother afterwards. Then I realized that I'm not even half as successful as the son was...
As a South Asian this short really touched my heart. Made me wanna go home and hug my mom and say sorry for the recent things I've been doing.
But yeah I can see how this short doesn't resonate with westerners since y'all parents want you to get the fuck out of their lives when you turn 17
But yeah I can see how this short doesn't resonate with westerners since y'all parents want you to get the fuck out of their lives when you turn 17
Maybe I don't get it, but there's no way the dumpling part
I mean the
was a giveaway, but it wasn't obvious, and if it was supposed to be they should have made it so. If it was real, then yeah it's messed up, and it kind of shocked me.
I mean, it's not that hard to understand, I think most cultures can at least empathize with the feeling of wanting to keep your kids at home, even if it's not as strong culturally as in China or other Asian cultures.
was actually real, right, it was all in her head?
white wife being the same
I mean, it's not that hard to understand, I think most cultures can at least empathize with the feeling of wanting to keep your kids at home, even if it's not as strong culturally as in China or other Asian cultures.
I thought it was wonderful but I'm not surprised at all at the reactions.
Up to that point in the short it was a tale about a dumpling that came to life, I think that was accepted by most. The mother eating the dumpling can be seen as horrifying, funny, or shocking to many. It's obviously a metaphor, but I'm not exactly shocked that it went over some peoples heads. It was a sudden bold move. The short almost me to tears, didn't see that coming halfway through.
Side Note: claiming it's not for them is annoying. Art is to be appreciated by millions. It's a short with relatable themes in front of a Pixar movie ffs, not some impossible to get high art.
Up to that point in the short it was a tale about a dumpling that came to life, I think that was accepted by most. The mother eating the dumpling can be seen as horrifying, funny, or shocking to many. It's obviously a metaphor, but I'm not exactly shocked that it went over some peoples heads. It was a sudden bold move. The short almost me to tears, didn't see that coming halfway through.
Side Note: claiming it's not for them is annoying. Art is to be appreciated by millions. It's a short with relatable themes in front of a Pixar movie ffs, not some impossible to get high art.
I was shocked enough to blurt out "What the fuck!" when it happened, but even lacking cultural context the symbolism was exceedingly blunt and I simultaneously cannot and can absolutely believe that people didn't get it.
But I'm pretty sure it's a shocking moment no matter what your cultural background.
But I'm pretty sure it's a shocking moment no matter what your cultural background.
If it wasn't made for us then it probably should not have been released to general audiences and placed before one of the most anticipated movies of the year, just a thought.
In my experience, that's not all that true. I'm 24 and every girl I've gone on a date with or spoken to in various dating apps has had these strong connections with their family. Even my guy friends are the same way.
I loved it, it was such an adorable short. And yeah, I thought it became obvious even before the reveal that
the dumpling was a stand-in for her increasingly fraught relationship with her actual child.
In my theater which was majority black and white viewers (Georgia) nobody laughed when she ate the dumpling son, though there was an expression of shock. It was unexpected and sudden. But even though I was surprised by it, I immediately knew what it represented and that was made completely clear when her real son showed up. I'm not Asian in background but I'm somewhat familiar with aspects of some Asian cultures through close friends, so I that might have played a role in understanding but I honestly don't see what's confusing about a parent in *any* culture going through empty nest syndrome to some extent.
I don't think that's fair.
1) People laugh when they are confused. Not everyone who laughed is sadistic.
2) We don't know she is mourning her child leaving until the very end.
I really liked it, but it was definitely not for kids, who won't understand the themes or symbolism, and just see a mother eat her own son, so it was pretty weird to see it in front of a kids movie. I think maybe that's what the ruckus is about?
Then again I misjudged it anyway, because I took my son of almost four, who loves all other Disney/Pixar films, and he was too frightened to look throughout half of the film. I maybe scarred him.
Then again I misjudged it anyway, because I took my son of almost four, who loves all other Disney/Pixar films, and he was too frightened to look throughout half of the film. I maybe scarred him.
Kids in this county and across Europe are staying home well past 18 and past graduation. It's common. The answer is that people are dumb. I also don't know how people don't know what BBQ pork buns are. I know your weird ass northern preserved fish, respect my food culture whitee
I didn't hear any laughter during my screening. Worst I got was some kid asking 10 times "WHY IS SHE CRYING?" Thankfully they were quiet for the rest of the movie.
I audibly heard a "What is this gay shit?" in the cinema. Going to guess it wasn't everyone's favorite.
It was clearly a metaphor and the Bao was never really alive.
I mean the real son dates the same girl as the Bao!!
I get kids being shocked but that short made me teary eyed
I mean the real son dates the same girl as the Bao!!
I get kids being shocked but that short made me teary eyed
My wife and I were laughing when the mom did the deed. Wasn't too fond of it though. We are both yellow but our parents raised us to be familial but independent.
I'm not surprised.
No one really cared about the last Pixar short directed by an Asian person, "Sanjay's Super Team." That short was probably the first thing I saw in a theater that made me bawl because it meant so much not only to see an Indian person get such a big opportunity but also how it captured the relationship most first-gen Indian-American kids have with their fathers.
It sucks that "Bao" is getting this kind of reception but it only shows how strong the idea of white America being the definitive American story is.
No one really cared about the last Pixar short directed by an Asian person, "Sanjay's Super Team." That short was probably the first thing I saw in a theater that made me bawl because it meant so much not only to see an Indian person get such a big opportunity but also how it captured the relationship most first-gen Indian-American kids have with their fathers.
It sucks that "Bao" is getting this kind of reception but it only shows how strong the idea of white America being the definitive American story is.
I called my mom right after. She went to see it, and called me right after she saw it.
My father thinks we're both dumb.
My father thinks we're both dumb.
I don't see how this represents any sort of consensus either. A few people said "wtf was that" on twitter? That's hardly representative of any sort of actual opinion. You can find reactions like that to almost any sort of media.
The article takes a few Twitter users stories and uses it to seem like this short faces stark polarization.
The article takes a few Twitter users stories and uses it to seem like this short faces stark polarization.
People didn't get this short? The silhouette of her son in the doorway looks like the bao and then transitions into a human that looks exactly like the bao. How dense are people?
What is? I have no problem with stuff being made not for the majority, I have no problem with it being released before the Incredibles sequel, what I do have a problem with is this line as a hurt defense when said majority is somewhat politely confused.
A couple of the tweets cited in the article literally said "my family were the only people that laughed at it, how awkward"
Mainstream media in a nutshell. Grab some tweets and a clickbait headline. Ugh.
Again, I don't think it's a cultural thing, unless eating your offspring is some kind of cultural thing. The short should have done a better job selling the bao part as a dream. Instead, because of the narrative structure of the story and the need to be surprised, it presents it as something that happened. Sure, the white girlfriend is a giveaway (and I didn't even realize that the real white girlfriend took off her shoes in the house unlike the fake one). But I wouldn't blame people if they took it like this woman ate this creature that she had raised, and then realizing what she did was wrong goes and reconciles with her son. But she still ate it, and that's disturbing if that's how you interpreted the film.
Here's a decent article on it, I disagree with one of their points:
https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/bao-pixar-short-film-before-incredibles-2-explained
See I never felt like oh, he's a jerk to his mom, so he deserved to be eaten, to me he was still a sympathetic character, so maybe that's the disconnect I have if I was supposed to feel like he's just a jerk that deserves to be eaten by his mom.
Here's a decent article on it, I disagree with one of their points:
https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/bao-pixar-short-film-before-incredibles-2-explained
See I never felt like oh, he's a jerk to his mom, so he deserved to be eaten, to me he was still a sympathetic character, so maybe that's the disconnect I have if I was supposed to feel like he's just a jerk that deserves to be eaten by his mom.
That tweet saying "this wasn't made for you" is absolutely ridiculous and counter productive if anything.
But on the other end people are completely stupid if they're offended by something when they obviously don't get the metaphor.
I thought it was great . I can see the problems with it for children though , that easily goes over their head. But it doesn't help when their parents are dumb as a rock and don't get it either.
But on the other end people are completely stupid if they're offended by something when they obviously don't get the metaphor.
I thought it was great . I can see the problems with it for children though , that easily goes over their head. But it doesn't help when their parents are dumb as a rock and don't get it either.
Yeah, that's two reactions. My theater personally seemed to enjoy it but who am I to say? The Incredibles 2 had a top 5 opening weekend box office tally. Reactions are gonna be all over the place with that kind of audience.