Atsushi Wada’s Deadpan And Engimatic ‘Bird In The Peninsula’ Premieres Online

After a successful festival run that saw it win grand prizes at Fantoche and Ottawa, Atsushi Wada’s wonderfully deadpan enigma Bird in the Peninsula (2022) has debuted online.

In his latest work — a bizarro fusion of Buster Keaton, Jon Fosse, and Mike Judge — Wada offers a coming-of-age tale that explores themes of identity, gender, and ritual. In the film, a group of boys performs a ritual dance under the watchful eye of a supervisor whose ever-present whistle hangs loosely between his lips as he diligently takes notes and corrects their movements. Meanwhile, deep below the surface, a scientist conducts experiments in a lab with a giant who appears to have wandered off from Swift’s depiction of Brobdingnag in Gulliver’s Travels. On the surface, a girl watches the dance, desperate to join in.

Wada’s world, with its ambient sounds and soft pastel palette, radiates a peculiar warmth coupled with a sense of blissful confusion. It is like wandering through a familiar landscape for the first time, free from judgment, preparation, or expectation. Initially, you may not grasp what’s happening, but that’s perfectly alright; you feel secure, and the meaning will reveal itself in due time.

Born in Hyōgo, Japan, in 1980, Wada began making short animated films in 2002 after studying at Osaka Kyoiku University, the Japan Institute of the Moving Image, and Tokyo University of the Arts. Inspired by the minimalism and music of Nô theater, he quickly established his reputation in the world of animation. His short film In a Pig’s Eye garnered awards at Switzerland’s Fantoche Festival and the London Int’l Animation Festival, while in the same year, his film The Mechanism of Spring premiered at the Venice Film Festival. In 2012, The Great Rabbit won a Silver Bear at Berlinale Shorts.

Bird in the Peninsula was co-produced by Miyu Productions and New Deer.