The Bee and The Fly

蜂蜜与苍蝇/蜂蜜與蒼蠅

The Bee who first comes to the big city follows the scheming Fly to land on the bigwig’s head to experience the days and nights of the absurd officialdom, and eventually the Bee is assimilated by the rules of corruption, and degenerates into a parasite together with the Fly.

Accompanied by Bach’s Badinerie and intertitles evoking the nostalgia of silent cinema, this split-screen animation, with its playful blue and red colour contrasts reminiscent of classic comic book panels, offers a sharp critique of a world warped by uncontrollable desires and privilege, as seen through the eyes of two small insects.

This concise yet impactful satirical fable, nominated for Best Animated Short Film at both the Shanghai International Film Festival and FIRST International Film Festival, traces the whimsical journey of these tiny insects, where the clinking of glasses at banquets becomes a striking metaphor for the hidden rules governing human society. -Qi Wu. Co-lead Curator of Odyssey 2024