Short Film Analysis - Nikila, Ashley, Alex by https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la en-us 2022-10-28 14:07:56 UTC 2025-04-17 12:14:48 UTC hello@padlet.com Plot Summary https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360681091 A motherly-looking woman is making a dumpling when all of a sudden, the dumpling comes to life and starts crying. The woman decides to raise the dumping, and watches him grow, make friends, find new hobbies, and eventually make a girl friend. The mother doesn’t like that her dumpling is leaving the house so much, and during an argument, she eats the dumpling. After crying for a while, the mother’s  actual son comes home, and reconnects with her. In the end, the watcher can see the entire family making dumplings together.

]]> 2022-10-28 14:12:19 UTC https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360681091 Topics/Theme https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360681358
  • The fear of abandonment
  • The strength of love/maternal love
  • Maturity
  • Unwanted maturity
  • The inevitability of maturation

    • ]]>     2022-10-28 14:12:30 UTC https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360681358     Setting https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360681685 - The setting is in the house of the family.
    - The kitchen is where most of the story takes place and is where the story starts and ends. ]]>     2022-10-28 14:12:40 UTC https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360681685     Thesis https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360682279
  • Through symbolism, Bao reveals the character’s fear of abandonment.
  • By exploring the meaning of the title, “Bao” shows the strength of a parental relationship.
  • Through the use of character change, “Bao” shows the inevitability of maturation.

    • ]]>     2022-10-28 14:13:04 UTC https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360682279     Conflict https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360682486 The conflict is woman vs son. The woman doesn’t like her dumpling child leaving the house so much. She feels abandoned. 

    ]]>     2022-10-28 14:13:13 UTC https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360682486     Character Change 23godwina https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360683255 As the woman’s dumpling child grows up, he becomes more rebellious and “teenager-like”. His maturation symbolizes what happened to the mother’s actual son, and shows that kids will grow up no matter what. ]]> 2022-10-28 14:13:44 UTC https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360683255 Characterization 23godwina https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360683714
  • Mother: She is sad in the beginning because when she makes dumplings only her and her husband are eating them and there is an empty chair which is meant for her son but he isn’t there. She is upset and then one of the dumplings comes alive, so she imagines this dumpling as her son and she raises him and takes care of him, and later she gets angry when the dumpling wants to leave her and she eats him. She then is happy again in the end when her actual son comes back to her and the entire family spends time together. 
  • Dumpling (Bao): This character was imagined by the mother because she missed her son. The film showed the progression of the dumpling growing up and then soon finding a woman and leaving her. This reminded her of how her son left her and how much she misses him. 
  • Son: He comes back towards the end of the film and apologizes to his mother for leaving her. In the end he brings his girlfriend and everyone in the family makes dumplings together showing how his mother is now happy and enjoys having all of the family together. 

    • ]]>     2022-10-28 14:14:02 UTC https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360683714     Symbol, Allusion, Title 23godwina https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360684337
  • The title, Bao (包) means “bun”, hug, and treasure in Chinese. -- how much the mother treasures her son. It literally could mean “a bundle of treasure”.
  • The son’s empty chair  -- the mother’s empty feeling while her son is away from her
  • Dumpling -- the dumpling represents how much the mother loves her son

    • ]]>     2022-10-28 14:14:26 UTC https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360684337     Critical Lens 23godwina https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360684995
  • Archetypal/Jungian Lens: The mother imagined the dumpling as her own son and treated him and raised him like her own child. The dumpling is a symbol because it shows her treasure and how much she misses her son. After her son grew up and left her, she has been sad because the house feels empty, so the dumpling filled that void in her heart. 

    • ]]>     2022-10-28 14:14:55 UTC https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2360684995     23godwina https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2364272508 2022-11-01 02:52:36 UTC https://padlet.com/23madhurakavin/6masxaio6mrv75la/wish/2364272508