This Short Film Blurs the Line Between Man, Machine and Animal
Jan Bitzer of the director troupe ‘Polynoid’ has released his most ambitious project to date with the brilliantly surreal short film ‘Bye Bear’. The expertly crafted CG film follows 'a secretive society' made up of “five robots on their own path of evolution.”
The directors at Polynoid have long been established as technically brilliant craftsmen. They’ve created a vast array of stunning commercial campaigns, exemplified by hyper realistic CG work and a sleek, dynamic directorial eye. Their work has graced Piccadilly's digital billboards as well as the Las Vegas Sphere - most recently for the immersive digital epic Anyma: ‘The End of Genesys’.
And Polynoid are no strangers to crafting their own stories. Their previous short film 'Loom' employs captivating CG imagery to explode one breath taking instant to an entire world of its own. ‘Bye Bear’ however, comes as a whole new beast. This film takes on a far more complex narrative drive, exploring questions like what comprises what we know as humanity? As machine? As animal? And what happens when those realms intersect at a secluded motel for a surreal, Dionyssian celebration of transformation. The questions posed by ‘Bye Bear’ come with no easy answers and, much like its striking visuals, stay with its audience long after the film ends.
Director Jan Bitzer said, "‘Bye Bear’ is a film about animals. Unconventionally narrated to support an unconventional subject matter. An Asimovian tech noir world crashing into a highly textual wall of tangible human heritage. From our perspective, we see machines that remind us of ourselves, but that don’t seek to become like us. They are broken but majestic. And in the end, imperfectly perfect. ‘Bye Bear’ is friendship and farewell. Transformation. Nature vs technology. All wrapped in a wild context of robotics and taxidermy."
