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Mimi Launder
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Warning: This article contains spoilers for Pixar's short film Bao, which screens before Incredibles 2 in cinemas and - take a deep breath - is not about white people.
The eight-minute short tells the story of a perfectly formed, home-cooked dumpling that comes to life and becomes a surrogate child for its cook, a Chinese woman.
We all know Pixar. Obviously there's more to Bao than a worthy celebration of this delicious staple of Chinese culture.
The film is also about overprotective parents and food as shorthand for love, as well as giving a modern twist to fairytales, creator and director Domee Shi told The New York Times.
Aw. Who could not enjoy that? Sure, it involves a fairly complex metaphor but, after decades of Pixar, we should be able to handle that, right?
Enter bewildered white people.
Initially fawning reactions to the film descended into chaos when one white person complained that Bao was the 'most confusing 10 minutes of her life' in a now-deleted tweet that drew tens of thousands of retweets.
People encountered ignorant white people in cinemas too.
As many pointed out, what's actually more confusing than Bao is how it could possibly make you confused.
This is not Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, after all. It's a warm-up for a family film.
Ok but today I FINALLY had the opportunity to watch Bao and all the white folks saying they didn’t understand ANYWA… https://t.co/I6BYTxlRdo— ༘⋆。𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐄༘⋆。 FNAF BRAINROT (@༘⋆。𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐄༘⋆。 FNAF BRAINROT) 1530413517
how are people confused about Bao it’s a 5 minute short about a mom missing her son lmao it’s not inception— pauline (@pauline) 1529993567
Hint: Bao is a metaphor guys. Not exactly new to Pixar.
i guess white ppl didn't understand bao bc a casserole didn't come to life and ungratefully yell at their mom— frank ocean vuong (@frank ocean vuong) 1529948008
Perhaps people aren't so much confused as they are prejudiced...
THIS 👏🏼 WASN’T 👏🏼 MADE 👏🏼 FOR 👏🏼YOU https://t.co/cNDe1cDmAD— William Yu 유규호 (@William Yu 유규호) 1529884855
Others concentrated on what Bao meant to them.
For many Asian people, Bao was reflective of their relationships with their parents.
i know Bao didn’t resonate with everyone but as a Chinese-American daughter going off to college in a few months, i… https://t.co/4WbxHrRcal— sam (@sam) 1530310388
My mom, like most Asian moms, instead of saying she loves me, she asks if I've eaten. And whenever I tell her I'm c… https://t.co/JhtK0L22U8— Diep Tran (@Diep Tran) 1530382315
The short film Bao made me cry real tears. It felt like I was watching my my own life. Kids here will never underst… https://t.co/qGbnEEyVkz— KimcheeKush (@KimcheeKush) 1530376567
when i watched bao i was like...that’s just me, like exactly. well anyway here’s my wonderful mom and me as a littl… https://t.co/uWbqva3qCr— Louie Zong (@Louie Zong) 1529985642
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