BUBBLE
DIRECTED BY HAONAN WANG
CHINA // 2020
14 MINS
This is an urban tale of love and sacrifice set in a mysterious restaurant hidden in an alleyway. On an ordinary night, a man eats a lot of herbal plants in front of a woman, transforming himself into the woman's food.
Reflective Encounters
“The concept of growing together with your partner is approached in this mysterious tale of love and transformation. Imagine a love where the bond is so strong that you share everything, where nurturing them is nurturing yourself, where their sustenance sustains you. Bubble has a unique way of symbolising this, leaving the audience room for plenty of interpretation. There is very little dialogue in Bubble (only two lines in fact); the connection between the protagonists is apparent as we witness them doing everything together, including going to the bathroom, almost as if they are one person.
But the film is anything but quiet, with prominent, almost obtrusive sound design, reminiscent of ASMR videos. Whether one enjoys these sounds or not, there is an intimacy in being close enough to someone to hear their breath or any such small movement, and here it’s used to highlight the couple’s closeness. Heightened sound is often associated with the horror genre, and a lot of what we hear in Bubble could be considered as quite bodily – like breathing and crunching for example. Along with low-light cinematography and a muddy narrative, the mood becomes unsettling for the audience. It soon transpires that this relationship could be blossoming into something else…”
— Alice Shone
Director's Statement
The plot of BUBBLE doesn't follow the traditional dramatic traits as it doesn't show off strong conflicts and "twists"; instead, it's delivering a sense of emotion. You can view the entire story as a ritual. A sacred ritual of love. A relationship between the offerer and God.
In the film, the man wants to give every bit of him to the woman, and she accepts it all. It's natural and not overwhelmingly sentimental. The woman knows that the man is sacrificing for her. She's grateful, yet she's used to it. She knows it's tough to be apart, but she yearns for the final result.
The final result turns out to be the desire for life itself. Or, the basic instinct of us animals. If I have to use the simplest words, I'm trying to reveal a romantic relationship in its extreme format. Imperceptible occupation. Because I find universality in this "extreme status", as it's quite common in all romance.
Filmmaker Bio
Haonan Wang graduated with a M.F.A degree in Film Production from Art Center College of Design. He has been working as an avid cinematographer and director in various fields including fiction, music video, commercial, etc.
His past works have won awards at several international film festivals including the A-list feativals like SXSW, SIFF , Warsaw Film Festival as well as the Oscar-qualified Aesthetica Film Festival.