MONKEY

The scouts

Three monkeys, one is dead — Shen Jie gives you the whole film in one sentence and then makes you sit in it. Deadpan existentialism at the primate level.

Five minutes of Shen Jie animation on a koan premise — three monkeys, one dead, what now — Roy-Andersson-with-fur is the right reach, and Shen Jie's restraint in dwelling on a single moment is exactly the discipline koan-cinema demands.

Five minutes of Shen Jie animation handed to you as a koan: three monkeys, one dead, now what. Restraint and a single-moment focus — Shen Jie's other work justifies trusting the form here.