Mō Yú Rhapsody

Jingxuan Hu

Singapour / 2025 / Expérimental, Animation / 3’28”I2604297

Mō Yú Rhapsody
1 Visionner Images

SYNOPSIS

[EN] "摸鱼" (mō yú) is a term that captures the essence of modern life in the digital age. Derived from the Chinese idiom "浑水摸鱼" (hún shuǐ mō yú), which originally described taking advantage in chaotic situations, "摸鱼" has evolved into a contemporary internet slang term. It now reflects the ubiquitous behavior of slacking off and seeking distraction during work hours—a silent rebellion against the relentless demands of modern employment. However, this film is not about idleness. It is about the quiet, desperate act of seeking moments of authenticity within the oppressive machinery of urban life. The film immerses the viewer in the overwhelming sensory overload of the morning commute—a chaotic sea of humanity where individual faces blur into a single, rushing organism. Within this concrete jungle, our protagonist, like so many of us, performs the daily ritual of migration from flesh to pixel, from the crowded train carriage to the glowing computer screen. The film uses the metaphor of the fish tank—a fragile, transparent prison of our own making—to question the nature of reality and perception. Through the interplay of a glass fish tank and a digital screen, it creates an infinite regression where it becomes impossible to distinguish who is the observer and who is the observed. Are we the goldfish, darting between the pixelated currents of our screens and the concrete rivers of our commutes? Or are we the ones tapping the glass, deluding ourselves that we control the chaos? This is a film about the gentle, illusory tap on the glass that keeps us swimming in place. It is a glimpse into the modern condition: our search for solace in the very systems that confine us, and the poignant, beautiful struggle to find a self within the swirl.

GÉNÉRIQUE