“Bibo” courtesy of Anton Chistiakov on Vimeo.

When you first encounter the short film Bibo, a Vimeo Staff Pick which was written, directed and produced by Anton Chistiakov and Mikhail Dmitriev, you might find yourself recalling the Pixar animated film WALL-E. But though both films on the surface tell a powerful story of a robot who wants to escape from his life, with evocative and well-timed music as well as little to no dialogue, that is also where the trail of comparison ends.

This melancholy and often retrospective short takes the viewer into the world of Bibo, a lonesome robot who on a quotidian basis treks through the town to sell his ice-cream and reimagines a life he wishes he could have. Similar to an elderly man, Bibo can often be seen scratching his chin and rocking back and forth on his chair as he watches the hands of a clock (which hangs in the center of town) turn ever so slowly, waiting in eager anticipation for the precise moment they hit 8 a.m. – a time when children would run up to his ice-cream cart, bringing wonderment and joy to the town square. However, we soon come to find that his daily life is only a figment of his imagination; a coping mechanism to deal with the harsh reality he finds himself in.

When asked what the film is trying to communicate to the viewer, Chistiakov said that their story “is about a human being, about the cycle of human life. It is about how old people recall their youth with such warmth, the best time of their life. Then they were needed, surrounded by family and friends. And now, they are old and forgotten, and only their favorite thing can restore old memories about the past. [Essentially, it is about] how we are ready to create illusionary worlds around us so we can carry on and support life inside.”

Watch the video above and tell us what you think!

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