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Syrian Hamster

To ease his wife's nightmares, the husband gave her a pet Syrian hamster on Valentine's Day. However, under this apparent peace lay the woman's hidden suffering - violence and control - the true source of nightmares.

As she watched the hamster struggle in its cage, she realized that she was also trapped in a patriarchal cage. Confronted with her husband's violence and threats, she decided to escape and resist, though whether she finally succeeded remains uncertain...

  • Yuhong Zhu
    Director
  • Yuhong Zhu
    Animator
  • Yuhong Zhu
    Edit
  • Yuhong Zhu
    Voice/Sound Effect
  • MAA LCC
    School
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Student
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 3 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    Chinese, English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of the Arts London
Director Biography - Yuhong Zhu

Yuhong Zhu is An animation director, concept artist, and 3D artist with great experience in the gaming industry. Her unique and versatile style adapts to diverse creative projects. Passionate about crafting compelling characters and narratives, she uses her art to raise awareness of social issues, particularly women's rights, through emotional and impactful storytelling.

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Director Statement

This film explores the actual struggles and psychological challenges faced by women in situations of domestic violence and patriarchal oppression.

The Syrian hamster serves as a central symbol. Once living in the wild, Syrian hamsters were first bred in a laboratory in 1930 by an Israeli biologist after capturing a female hamster and her litter. Today, they are common as pets and lab animals but may no longer exist in the wild. The hamster symbolizes captivity and forced breeding, paralleling women's plight.

In the film, this untamed Syrian hamster serves as both a reflection of the protagonist’s situation and a guide in her search for freedom and self-identity. Its cage represents the woman's "home," while the running wheel and treadmill symbolize patriarchal traps. Inspired by Michel Foucault's panopticon, the scene of circular prison cage deeply explores of relationships among patriarchy, individual women, and the other women.

The rose is another key symbol. In violent scenes, it represents the woman’s body. I integrated the rose's shape and texture with elements like fabric pieces of clothing and woman's hair, using vivid visuals and sounds to evoke discomfort and reflection on domestic violence. The rose, initially a gift symbolizing love, reflects the man's misguided perceptions of women. By the end, its thorny and wildly growing stem represents women’s strength and resistance, challenging stereotypes of weakness, passivity and fragility.

Visually, the film uses a black, white, and red color palette to create tension and oppression, intensifing the brutality of violence and emotional struggles. The animation style blends rough pencil sketches with realism, enhancing the narrative’s authenticity. Hazy lighting, shadow play, and non-linear transitions blur the boundaries between dreams, hallucinations, and reality, creating a sense of irony as the protagonist navigates between illusory warmth and harsh truths.

In terms of narrative and animatied style, I drew inspiration from Chris Marker's film La Jetée. By blending animation with static imagery, I aimed to convey a sense of delay, reflecting themes of trauma, numbness, and fragmented time. The impactful and emotive sound design provides space for the audience to imagine and interpret more deeply.

This film is a deep reflection on domestic violence and women’s issues. It encourages viewers to contemplate the impact of violence and oppression within gender power structures and the bravery of women seeking freedom and empowerment.