Bao (2018) by Domee Shi

Initial research (background):

• Released June 15, 2018 (alongside The Incredibles 2)
• The film is about an aging and lonely Chinese-Canadian mother, suffering from empty-nest syndrome, who receives an unexpected second chance at motherhood when she makes a steamed bun (baozi) that comes to life.

Empty nest syndrome is a feeling of grief and loneliness parents may feel when their children leave home for the first time, such as to live on their own or to attend a college or university. It is not a clinical condition.

Since young adults moving out from their families’ house is generally a normal and healthy event, the symptoms of empty nest syndrome often go unrecognized. This can result in depression and a loss of purpose for parents,^[2] since the departure of their children from “the nest” leads to adjustments in parents’ lives. Empty nest syndrome is especially common in full-time mothers.

• Having been an only child while growing up in Toronto, she identified herself with the metaphor of the “overprotected little steamed bun.” (Brown, Tracy. “How ‘Bao’ director Domee Shi stayed true to her ‘weird’ idea and created a specifically Asian story – Los Angeles Times”. latimes.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.)
• Bao acts as a story about food and family and how the two come together to form a “potent emotional resonance” (“In Bao, Food for The Soul From Domee Shi, Pixar’s First Female Director of a Short”. Vogue. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2018.)
• In making the mother the main character, Shi places herself in her mother’s shoes to show her emotional journey as she dedicates her life to raising a child who is now gone.
• Shi presents the idea of a primal love where you would destroy something so that it won’t go away.
• Cultural gap: still common in Asian households for multiple generations to live under the same roof. This is done for multiple reasons but one of the reasons is that living that way is cheaper (especially in places that are densely populated where housing and rent is exceptionally expensive). Or it could also simply be in order to care for the elders of the family. Reasons vary and differ from family to family. 
• The mother loves something so much, she doesn’t want to let it go anywhere, even outside her own body.
• The short is also culturally significant for its authentic portrayal of diverse characters. Shi, as a Chinese-Canadian artist with exposure to many different styles of art, animation and film, as well as Chinese immigrant communities, portrays very diverse characters. Shi tells the stories of the people around her.

Production:

• Bao was the first of 35 Pixar shorts to be directed by a woman, made more significant because of Pixar’s stigma as being a “boys’ club” as well as the fact that the animation industry is male-dominated as a whole
• it was decided early on in production that Bao would be a project with no dialogue. As a story that needed to be understood universally by audiences (staying true to chinese culture where it is believed that love is expressed through actions and not words)
• The decision to have the mother eat the bao was based on something Shi’s mother would always say to her “Oh I wish I could put you back in my stomach so I knew exactly where you were at all times.” (Brown, Tracy. “How ‘Bao’ director Domee Shi stayed true to her ‘weird’ idea and created a specifically Asian story – Los Angeles Times”. latimes.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.)
• Being an only child, Shi had frustrations about being coddled when growing up, so she talked to her mother + other parents to get their view on the same situation. Shi very much uses the short to step outside of her own point of view in order to identify with the mother who is the main character
• Through Bad, Shi aimed to explore the theme of primal love, “the type of love you would destroy so it would not disappear and go away.” (Brown, Tracy. “How ‘Bao’ director Domee Shi stayed true to her ‘weird’ idea and created a specifically Asian story – Los Angeles Times”. latimes.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.)
• One of the main reasons Shi wanted to tell the story of Bao was her Asian influences combined with a lack of Asian-American media. This, however, does not mean that the film cannot apply to a wider audience. Although the film was culturally specific there were universal themes of parents learning to let go of their children yet still being bound together with the familiarity and comfort only found in family.
• Shi debated about the idea of showing the Bao being eaten as she felt it was too dark to fit the usually light-hearted themes of pixar films. However, because it is such an important turning point in the film, Shi kept it in but made sure she was portraying it in a manner that was both viscerally appropriate for children as well as giving a clear understanding of the mother’s motives. (“Domee Shi Thinks Kids Can Handle Dark Stories”. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.)

Animation:

• Shi claims that earlier drafts of the scene contained more disturbing images. One draft in particular showed the Mother actually chewing on the steamed bun for a couple of moments while crying before swallowing her son. Shi explained how she would show this particular version to others and “they would be really, really upset by it.” (Domee Shi Thinks Kids Can Handle Dark Stories”. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.) So, Shi took this feedback and created the final produced version that made it into the short in which the Mother takes the steamed bun and swallows the son in one gulp without chewing, in order to show “a quick crime of passion” (“ ” ”)
• The short film itself was Shi’s modern-day interpretation of some of the darker themed folk tales that inspired her, stories such as The Gingerbread Man and other Asian fables about finding babies in food like peaches. she “always loved how they play with light and dark elements. These little characters are so cute, but the world wants to eat them.” ( “ “ “) Shi believes that children’s films need to introduce more of these themes and show them as equally as these lighter elements of storytelling. She wants children to be able to understand how common dark elements are in day to day and equip them with the tools they need for the real world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1JItl8jzGw 

• “Food is super important in chinese culture” – Domee Shi

In chinese,  BǍOBÈI (宝贝) and BǍOBǍO (宝宝) are terms of endearment used by mums to refer to their (actual) babies. Baobei meaning “treasure” and Baobao meaning “baby”. Although the chinese characters for the “Bao” referred to in the movie (面包 – Miànbāo, meaning bread, or even 包子 – Bāozi, meaning dumpling) is different from the bao I just mentioned; Bao can be viewed as a homophone for the term of endearment as well as the actual food. This knowledge further amplifies the mother’s love for the bao as well as allowing the audience to discover a better understanding of how deep a mother’s devotion and affection can run for her child.

What do you think it is trying to say?

The short film centers around the emotional turmoil and lonely life-style of an ageing chinese-canadian woman suffering from empty-nest syndrome. 

In chinese culture, affectionate feelings are not usually vocalised. Instead, parents will express their love through actions. With the mother’s only-child no longer present in the household, she is emotionally distressed. She has become accustomed to coddling her child that seeing the child no longer needing them has left them (emotionally distressed)

The mother, who has most likely left her whole life behind to another country for the sake of her child, only wishes to care for her child. However, the child only wishes for some independence. And, when they are denied that at a young age, they feel suffocated and end up leaving as soon as they get the chance. The same actions that were meant to make them stay ended up driving them out.

Bao also address another cultural gap between the two generations. (sharing house thing)

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-bao-domee-shi-pixar-20180616-story.html 

What are the character(s) motivations for their actions? In what different ways are their desires/emotions shown?

The mother is ecstatic at having a second chance at motherhood and does everything she can to love and care for her “child”. She cooks for them, bathes them, takes them out on shopping trips, etc. (again, focusing not he importance of showing love not saying it) She is showing the unconditional love of a parent.

Technically, although this seems like an act of cruelty, you could also say that the final moments of eating her bao were also acts of love. Although it may not seem like it at first, the mother’s decision to eat her “child” rather than let them go is a very visceral reaction to her primal instinct to protect.

Do you identify with the character? If so, how does the media achieve this?

Yes, as an only child from immigrant parents, this story is all too familiar to me. I knew that my parents were coming from a place of love and concern but it felt too much at times. Growing up, I was a very closed-off and reserved child. With over-protective parents that always shut me in, I found comfort in being able to hide. Whether it be social situations, commitments, or just not wanting to go outside, my first instinct was always to hide behind my parents. To this day, I still struggle with my social skills. I do not harbour any negative emotions towards my parents, nor do I blame them for how I have turned out today, but the constant coddling in my early life has definitely accounted to my stilted emotional understanding and less than decent social skills.

There were also moments of conflict between my parents and I for this very reason. I always tried to be on my best behaviour so it frustrated me that they could not trust me. If I wanted to go out with my friends they had to know everyone, if they didn’t then I was not allowed to hang out with people they deemed “strangers”. I was not allowed to go into London without a “trusted adult” until my late teens. If I did go out then I would have to call them regularly to let them know where I am. etc. It felt like even my best behaviour was not enough to earn their trust.

It’s not that your parents don’t trust you, they don’t trust the world. When facing these issues during adolescence, it may feel like your parents are mistrusting you. You think, why would you ever doubt me? Have I not been nothing but good to you? I stay out of trouble. But it is far more complex than that and often times can lead to misunderstandings. I found it hard to understand when I first talked to them about this situation. It felt ridiculous to think that there was a murderer or thief around every corner. Their concerns felt exaggerated and unreasonable at the time because it halted me from fulfilling what I thought was best for me. Once I let go of my selfish mindset and tried to look at it from my parents’s perspective, I could finally understand their hypersensitivity and reluctance to certain things. And it is films like Bao that remind us about these lessons, teaching us to look at the bigger picture. When the real son returns to his mother at the end, it made me realise, neither party is actually wrong. The mother loved her child the way she believed best, but it was suffocating. The child was driven away because of his over-bearing mother but ultimately came to realise that his mother held no malice in her actions and let go of his selfish mentality.

What does the character represent? Do their beliefs change over the course of the narrative?

Personally, I believe the mother can be seen to represent both maternal love as well as the asian culture. She represents love for very obvious reasons; for instance, her love for her child, her dedication to this child, her unwillingness to let go of the child, etc. The mother in Bao embodies the asian belief of “love is expressed through actions and not words”. This idea is further cemented by the fact that there is no dialogue throughout the entire movie; allowing for a universal message that transcends culture and language. At first, the mother acts out selfishly, holding her child back if it meant emotional closure for her. However, by the end of the film, she learns to stop being so over-bearing even if her actions came from a place of love. Her character develops into a more independent and understanding person who no longer relies on her happiness coming from someone else.

Or, you could also view the mother as the personification of asian culture. The child embraces their native culture when younger but reject it once they start growing up. This is a common theme in most immigrant households. 

• Children grow up in a western environment with western influences
• Some may even choose to actively reject their native heritage due to bullying or fear of being ostracised by peers
• The cultural gap between the two generations can cause misunderstandings or feelings of hostility
• Many immigrant children grow up not knowing their mother tongue. (feel too asian for their western peers but also cannot seem to find a place among their own – lost)
• Sometimes, immigrant children learn to love and accept their culture later in life. Appreciating their heritage and being proud of their roots after growing out of their fear of being judged. So, in this sense, you could view the last scene of Bao as the son’s turning point. He left with a western girl but returned home with the small pastry that he always got with his mother from the asian groceries during childhood.

Does the media indicate an option for social change?