Christine Cegavske’s film is the parable for the creator and their infatuation with their creations that can take on a life of their own. A group of people who want something to claim for their own, and the people who create and discover their invention has become an object of romance are the battling groups of characters whose own personal vendettas in this battle become incentive to take an object of infatuation.
In some ways “Blood Tea and Red String” is a tale of class warfare, war in general, and the potential of something beautiful to cast a violent result on society, and Cegavske’s morbid fairytale for adults is much more than just a Stop Motion short. Like “Watership Down,” Cegavske’s s allegory seems like a film fit for children, but takes an ominous turn midway increasing the sense of dread as a study of two societies making a pact and then breaking it.
As red string is used prominently to cast the body of the doll, Cegavske uses that as somewhat of an omen to signal the potential dire measures of things to come as these two society fractions find themselves at odds that becomes more and more violent as the story progresses. Cegavske’s film not only stands as a subtle allegory of war in some sense, but also explores how our creations, when conceived with enough passion, can take on a form and life of its own, and will in fact bring doom to its creators without caution.
Cegavske’s drops the light on two somewhat peaceful societies, The White Mice and The Oak Dwellers, pits this object of value in between then, and shares with us how this peace is so easily broken and what cruel machinations these warring people are capable of. With rather engrossing animation Cegavske’s creation becomes more psychedelic and abstract as it develops, featuring a scene involving sinister yellow fruit, and displays sins of greed, gluttony, and murder.
For lack of a better word, “Blood Tea and Red String” is some trippy s**t, and paired with some acid, this is a film that will make for some freaky hallucinations. On its own though, Cegavske’s film is a meld of surreal imagery, and a morbid somewhat horrific story that art lovers will enjoy. Horror fans need apply.
