'Shedding': Film Review
"As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat" – attributed to Ellen Perry Berkeley
When describing Shedding's premise, one might immediately think of a reverse look at Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. Kafka's classic work is a depressing tale about a man who loses his identity and self-worth. Shedding is about a cat who becomes human. Instead of becoming a burden like Gregor Samsa's grotesque insect form, Panda the Cat as a human is a blessing to the few other humans he encounters during his adventure.
Jake Thomas's 2019 film was finally released virtually this year. It is a poignant yet optimistic treat worthy of your time. Despite the tagline, you do not have to be a cat parent to enjoy this film. It is a sweet story of finding yourself while processing grief, featuring our furry favorites.
While humans may have domesticated dogs first, cats chose humans to be their companions. They invited themselves to be our companions. As evidenced by their worship by several cultures across human history, people loved, scratch that, revered them in return. Nowadays, cats are the most popular house pet in the United States. There are 90 million domesticated cats in approximately 34 percent of U.S. homes. Meaning we tend to have more than one catnapping in our homes.
There are many things to love about this film. The only dialogue in it revolves around human encounters. However, there are plenty of other sounds. The original score of the film is lovely and serves it well. The music moves the film forward as much as any conversation could.
The cinematography is lovely. Thomas uses real cats for the parts of Panda and his kitty sibling. I do not know how many takes it required to get the footage that was needed. The footage is entertaining and helps us understand Panda before his transformation.
Lex Quarterman's portrayal of a cat turned human is brilliant. At the very least, Quarterman must have spent a lot of time around cats, or perhaps he is a cat parent. He reminds me of my kitty. The movie does contain humans in the form of The Mother and Daughter. More on them later.
Shedding opens with scenes of two cats horsing around in an apartment, emphasizing the white one with black points in particular named Panda. He is doing is his best cat things but is bored. His sibling cat is a constant source of annoyance to him. During one of his long catnaps, he dreams of running free in a field. After another day filled with the ennui of being an apartment cat, he falls asleep once more. This time he wakes up as a naked human. SPOILERS from here on out!
Panda The Cat does not quite know what has happened to him and still tries to do the same cat things. These include his daily grooming rituals and using a litter box. Panda the Cat eventually wanders outside despite not knowing how to use his now human hands. He climbs trees and chases birds just like a cat would. He eventually runs into other humans who are shocked by his human nudity.
As he bolts away, Panda the Cat runs into a human female. She is not at all frightened by this naked man. She is happy to see him. She corners him in an alleyway and takes him to her home. We soon understand that Cat's human countenance is the same as that of her deceased son, Todd.
We also learn of her Daughter as well. When we finally meet her, we realize just how broken and deluded The Mother is about her son's death. Both use human Panda the Cat's presence to deal with their grief while Panda longs to return home.
While it is clear how Panda helped the Mother and Daughter rediscover their voice while overcoming their grief, we do not know what Panda the Cat got out of his adventure. I cared more about him than the humans in the movie. I wish I knew what he learned from his experience. Would he ever want to become a human again?
The overall tone of the film is positive despite being about grief. Animals indeed help us, humans, in times of our greatest need. After watching the movie, I wondered what therapeutic animals must think of us when we work with them to overcome our sadness. While they do not literally transform for us, their presence surely helps us through our grief.
You can stream ‘Shedding’ on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.