Sundance 2022 Film Festival – Writer/director Wen-Ming Hsieh’s Night Bus is a 19-minute trip with a whole lot of bloody twists and turns. The animation impresses, but so does the unpredictability of this film. This is part noir and part splatter. The shifts in tone and genre-bending make for one unforgettable ridge.

When passengers board a bus at night, something goes wrong. A wealthy, elderly woman, voiced by Shu-Fang Chen, wakes to find her pearl neckless missing. She demands the passengers find the thief. At first, they accuse the wrong person. They spot the necklace in his pants pocket, but he claimed he didn’t take it. Did someone set him up? Maybe. The mob takes justice into their own hands, stuffing the man’s body into a sack and later nearly beating him to death with a shovel. This is no kid’s animation. That’s for sure. There’s a surprising level of violence here, which amps up gradually and then rapidly, all leading to an explosive ending under the coastal sky.

Oh, and there’s a vengeful monkey, too. Yes, that’s right. After the driver, voiced by Ming-shiou Tsai, hits a mother carrying her child, the baby monkey takes revenge. It sneaks onto the bus and swings from seat to seat. Then, it chokes with its tail. It slashes and claws and things get totally bonkers, but you have to feel for the little guy. The humans express such remorseless violence, be it towards the mother monkey or towards each other. They have what’s coming to them. Yet, there are surprising glimpses of humanity in this short, especially between a husband and his pregnant wife, both determined to survive. It’s a nice counterbalance to all the bloodshed.

What really stands out about this film, however, is the animation. Both the animation and art design were handled by Hsieh, and they’re absolutely stunning. It’s no surprise this won the Grand Prix at Animafest. Overall, Night Bus contains chaotic mob violence, a darkly humorous level of gore, and a rich atmosphere that creates a noir-like mystery. This is one ride worth the ticket.

 8 Out of 10 Angry Monkeys