Trying to come to terms with death when you’re still a child can be unsettling. That is reflected in this touching animated short film made in 2018 by students from Gobelins in Paris. A Gong deals with death. The story unfolds in accordance with the most refined Taiwanese tradition, whereby the bereaved family gathers to bid a final farewell to an elderly man who has passed away. The gong is banged and the ceremony begins as deep-rooted customs demand. The people in attendance include a 7-year-old boy who is trying to make sense of the loss of his grandfather. This a formative experience that viewers get to share through the child’s inner journey.
A Gong is a story that pulls on the heart strings. Through the young boy’s eyes we discover the most precious Taiwanese funeral rites, with each sequence showing the various ancestral rituals with authenticity and precision. This includes the use of a professional mourner (who demonstrates sorrow by crying and literally throwing herself to the ground), musicians who play a range of percussion instruments in honour of the deceased, and the altar featuring all kinds of offerings to the man whose earthly life has ended. It’s an intricate ceremony and the boy is discovering and taking part in it for the first time.
The short film is split into two parts. In the first one the boy silently ponders the loss of his grandfather. Pensive yet confused, he seems to interrogate himself about the situation. Then, the sad reality suddenly sinks in. Alone in the dark at night, he confronts death and tries to accept this internal suffering. The poignant screenplay enables young viewers to travel with him to awareness, to grasp the delicate question of what it is to lose a loved one. A Gong is a short film full of emotions and it gives children awareness of the variety of cultural practices that exist in the world. It is a work that is open to other places and uses a beautiful distinctive way to address a universal theme: grief.
