In a world looked over by an indifferent higher power, giving and taking away lives as though they were flowers picked out of a garden, a kitten named Nyatta navigates a cruel, dark and wonderous dream-like world in order to retrieve his older sister’s soul.

Cat Soup (2001) is a surrealist experience, a fever dream, experimental in nature and after watching for the second time, I’d say it is rather felt than completely understood. Even through some of its disturbing images, you come to see it does no harm. It could be since we are seeing a crude world through Nyatta’s innocent, adventurous gaze.

Nekojiru-So, its Japanese title, is a posthumous tribute to the creator of these sibling cats, manga artists Chiyomi Hashiguchi (best known as Nekojiru), directed by Tatsou Satou.

Rather than an accurate adaptation of the original work, the 30 minute short was meant to serve as a parallel to this universe, further exploring the themes of innocence and cruelty, life and death, and existing in a world as a watcher, an other… not exactly part of it.

First, here’s some spoiler-free context.

Big sister Nyaako silently passes away while her family carries out a pretty ordinary day; she was laying in bed, sick and frail. Nyatta seemed to be the only one who sensed her absence. In fact, he sees her soul leave with whom appeared to be a saint or a spirit guide (after a little research, it might’ve been Jizo, buddhist patron of children’s souls).

The kitten followed and fought over Nyaako’s soul, only to run away with a piece of it and resurrecting his sister only partially. (What do I mean by this? You’ll have to watch to find out.) Thereafter, Nyatta goes to the ends of the earth in order to completely bring his sister back to life.

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But what can we take from this film, especially now?

Nyatta’s actions are in fact an act of rebellion: a cry to leave a mark, to claim a place in world, to prove his sister existed and therefore mattered, in turn, he and his family had value as well. He believed his loved ones deserved to be together and happy.

These very themes are being explored in our own headspace during the pandemic. We may find ourselves searching for ways to reaffirm our existence despite being closed off in our homes, while a perilous world awaits as soon as we walk past the threshold.

And in the midst of this, many of us may be trying to keep our family’s together, lift their spirits, keep in touch.

Now, surely, Nyatta was driven by the love and care for his sister, but was it a rather selfish act to bring her back so recklessly, against the “natural” order of things?

I guess the answer depends on who you are, what you believe in, what you’ve experienced.

Cat Soup is currently very accessible and easy to find; no need to worry where to stream it. If you’re looking for something new this Christmas break, give this story a chance! Gather your own conclusions on its meaning and come back to this post; you won’t regret it.