I don't want to be eaten by Humans
Directed by YUSHAN LIU
CHINA · 2026 · 11 min 49 sec · Fantasy
Submitted to OnShow International Film Festival 2026Synopsis
The live-action short film "I Don't Want to Be Eaten by Humans" primarily employs handheld pseudo-documentary filming, complemented by a limited number of AI-generated shots that externalize the characters' fantasies. The entire narrative is woven together with a consistent thread of black humor. The Crawfish clan regards being served on the human dining table as the ultimate honor. The mother, using her eldest daughter's death at a banquet as a benchmark for the whole family, forcefully decides that Honghong's destiny is to be seasoned with garlic. Long-time suppressed Honghong, unwilling to accept this predetermined fate, escapes alone in search of freedom. After experiencing ridicule from her peers and persuasion from her parents, she briefly compromises but then returns to the clan for selection. At the climax, the mother suddenly realizes and steps onto the stage to abandon the selection. Dramatically, Honghong herself is found not to meet the standards and is already ineligible for the human dining table. Having broken free from both constraints, she heads towards the sewer, symbolizing liberation. While Honghong thought she had completely escaped her fate of being boiled and was exulting in freedom, a mouse suddenly appeared in the shadows, bringing an acute threat to survival. The film concludes with this twist, delivering a black humor: there is no escape that can offer permanent safety. Evading one kind of destiny only leads to confronting another existential crisis. The story employs an absurd allegory of a shrimp clan to satirize homogenization, conformity, and dysfunctional familial relationships. The mouse serves as a concrete symbol of new existential dilemmas, reinforcing the story's stark black humor. It explores the core reality that even after breaking free from societal norms, young people must continue to confront the unknown perils of the world.
Director
A graduate student in broadcast and television directing, I do not adhere to standardized visual expressions. I am accustomed to weaving personal observations and conflicting emotions into my shots, favoring narratives that blend reality with fantasy, and specializing in uncovering the overlooked spiritual nuances within ordinary people. Mastering the entire filmmaking process—from concept development and on-location shooting to editing—I reject formulaic, assembly-line production. I aim to tell stories with distinct character and authentic everyday life through visual storytelling. My work has won multiple awards in film and video competitions.
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OnShow International Film Festival — Inaugural Edition · 2026