Margrethe Danielsen’s BEAR HUG reflects on the complexity of being alive

Bear Hug takes us into a forest somewhere in Norway or some other magical place where a little bear is getting ready to celebrate his birthday. The bear has prepared a festive gathering, complete with party hats and a tiered birthday cake with candles as he waits for guests to arrive.

It is his special day, and he is hoping that he will find friends to celebrate with him. Sitting in solitude in the woods, he appears lonely and vulnerable. But four little birds are chirping above in the skies. The anticipation is high.

But soon, a sleuth of bears arrives on the scene and breaks the idyll. Without hesitation, they reject the birthday bear and continue on their way into the woods.

During the next few minutes, we learn that not all bears are created equal, reflective of the dual symbolism of the bear in traditional and popular belief.

On one hand, our little protagonist bear reminds of a teddy bear who just wants to be hugged — or that we want to hug. Modern psychology has shown that hugging a comfort object like a toy bear can evoke a sense of peace and security, increasing emotional well-being, coping skills, resilience, self-esteem — much in the same way a human hug can.

On the other hand, in this film, the bear also emerges as symbol of unbridled strength. While in some cultures, the bear is known to embody family, rebirth, and other spiritual traits, in practical and popular culture, we know bears to be big, burly, hungry, and dangerous to the humans they encounter.

It is this latter type of brutish bear that is embodied by the gang of three bears in the film. They are uncontrolled bullies, driven by their instinct, hunger, and pack mentality, whether they are catching a fresh fish for lunch or wolfing down little birds for dessert. Their cruelty toward the birthday bear shows them to be devoid of any feeling or empathy toward any fellow creature who is not part of the pack, especially if they are smaller and weaker. Anyone who has been bullied or witnessed this type of cruelty can easily identify with the victim.

It is not always easy to fit in, but our little bear in the film tries his best. He finds his own bathing hole where he can catch a fish, but he doesn’t have the agility to hold onto his prey or the heart to eat it. He sees his reflection in the water and reflects on who he is. He understands that a transformation is taking place inside him. He heard the birdsong in the forest and saw the little creatures in flight. For a few moments, this lifts him up above the pack — literally and figuratively — as he looks for a better, kinder way.

In contrast to the big bully bears, the little birds offer another way of life, but in the end, it is also out of reach and not the natural way of things. He climbs up the tree to join the birdies, but it doesn’t take long for the branch he is perched on to break — for he is a bear and not a bird. He crashes to the ground and awakes to a new realization: you cannot be something you are not.

Nonetheless, a bond of friendship has been forged between the once lonely bear and the four little birds. Finally, the party begins, only to be interrupted by the big bully bears. Our little bear takes his new bird friends into his arms to protect them, but the big bears intimidate him and help themselves to a birthday treat, lunching on one bird each.

But they will not have the last precious, vulnerable bird. The little bear protects it in his arms and walks away into the woods, embracing it in his bear hug. The big bully bears may be left there to eat his birthday cake, but they cannot eat his loving soul, his own unique bear being.

Bear Hug, of course, it is not about bears but people. While this animated short is less than 10 minutes long, short of the film credits, it is full of complexity: the complexity of the human condition. We aren’t all alike. Bear Hug is about loneliness, the need to fit in, about knowing who you are and who you want to be.

Throughout our lives, we all face challenges, undergo peer pressure, and re-evaluate our relationships with others to overcome obstacles. If we are lucky, we arrive at a final awakening or understanding of our purpose in life. Sometimes, the ending is not exactly what we expected. And, now and then, we all need a little bear hug along the way.

BEAR HUG

Initial release: 2021 © JPL Films — Mikrofilm

Runtime: 10:33

Screenplay: Margrethe Danielsen (Norway)

Director: Margrethe Danielsen (Norway)

Editor: Jean-Marie Le Rest (France)

Music composed by: John Erik Kaada (Norway)

Producers: Camille Raulo, Jean-François Bigot (France)

About Margrethe Danielsen

Margrethe Danielsen earned a bachelor’s degree in pre-school education from Queen Maud’s University College in Trondheim, Norway, a bachelor’s degree in animation and a master’s degree in media practices, both from Volda University College in Volda, Norway. She has worked as a stop-motion artist in Estonia, Ireland, Belgium, France, and Norway. She was part of making Eternal Hunting Grounds (2016), Captain Morten and the Spider Queen (2018), Help! We have a blind patient (2021), Antipolis (2023), and On Weary Wings go By (2024). After the award-winning student film Pearl Diver (2020), Bear Hug (2021) was her professional directorial debut. She is currently developing a new animated short film about a mole and his grief.

All images courtesy of JPL Films - Mikrofilm