This review might contain spoilers. You may proceed if you can handle the truth... https://anilist.co/anime/168572/SHe/social Although Chinese and Japanese stopmotion animation has never reached the popularity and success of European stopmotion animation there has never been a shortage of such works in the pre1970s in China and Japan. With the growing influence of American culture the technique slowly lost its representation in favour of cell animation. Despite the animation methods loss of a widespread audience it is still popular among animation students and arthouse animators. Since animation artists are a small and niche audience for investors directors will have difficulties getting the budget for a featurelength project. Hence it is surprising that Chinese director Shengwei Zhou received the funding for his stopmotion feature She stylized as S He. While many big Chinese animation studios were busy with massproducing CG animation the director passionately worked on this 95minute movie for over six years. After roughly 60000 photographs the director completed the dialoguefree film in 2018. Even though the thoughtprovoking feature lacks spoken words it covers numerous diverse topics through shrewd symbolism including but not limited to labour exploitation sexism workspace inequality freedom of choice systemic corruption sexual harassment and industrial pollution. In other words this anthropomorphized nightmare criticizes the current prevalent issues in China. Under an unbalanced gender salary gap shoes with human attributes work for starvation wages in factories and fight over the grace of the factory manager. The vast barren land and the fierce fight between nature and machines symbolize Chinas faltering environment. The imagery of the melting clocks gives the problems a sense of urgency. Not only Chinas industrial system but also its social system desperately needs a change. During the female protagonists struggle to defy gender roles she is limited to one outfit to avoid being sexualized and experiences sexual harassment by her superior for a fairer income. Albeit the protagonist and natures victory against the injustices the ending lacks hope for a longterm improvement of Chinas situation. Besides the imaginative brilliant and captivating story the mostly fluid stopmotion animation and the detailed set pieces are another highlight. The intricate character design shows the directors rapture for the project. The occasional erratic camera movements and seldom rough transitions impart the indie work an amateurish rawness comparable to Ujichas Burning Buddha Man which fits it splendidly. In contrast to Ujichas animated horror feature it creates a terrifying and unpleasant atmosphere without gore. Last but not least the original outstanding score by Sihan Yuan and the meticulous sound design by Ruida Han enrich the ambience and experience. In summary Shengwei Zhous stopmotion feature S He convinces with its social criticism creative world and distinctive story. Albeit the film does not feel like a professional work it is worth checking out for the directors ingenuity and the movies uniqueness. Undoubtedly fans of stopmotion animation should not hesitate to watch it soon. While writing this review you can borrow or buy it for a small fee on Vimeo.