This short was moving.

A beautifully-crafted 2-dimensional animation that was minimal in its scope, palette and narrative, but still managed to make me tear up thinking about a close family member’s recent medical diagnosis. Each element moved together with such understated specificity.

I loved when the transitions used an artifact (color, line, or pattern) from a previous scene to introduce something new in the subsequent scene. Beautiful execution.

The fire-breathing on the depiction of the director’s (Jiaqi Wang) aunt’s inflamed spine was powerful. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Transitioning from whispers in English about wanting to make sure her aunt was okay, and using the Kareua to navigate to her relative and to symbolize her pain was **chef’s kiss**.

Phenomenal work.

Impactful, emotional, beautiful, and specific.