Forward, Comrades (2012)

Forward, Comrades (Russian: Вперед, товарищи; ) is a 2013 Chinese animated short film by Wang Liyin of the Beijing Film Academy. The film focuses on the fall of the Soviet Union as its main theme, told from the perspective of a young girl. As an original net animation with a strong political backdrop, the film has triggered strong reactions from various audiences.

Synopsis

Set within the later era of the Soviet Union, the protagonist is an unnamed young girl who lives in a tattered bungalow alongside various domesticated animals, and likes to play with construction blocks. She is friends with a cat named Comrade Vladimir (弗拉基米尔同志), a chicken named Comrade Felix (菲里克斯同志), and a duck named Comrade Beriya (贝利亚同志). Her mother is described as a schoolteacher "within our socialist motherland", who informs her that although their work is not supported by everybody, they cannot negate the merits of such work, and that their belief will never be effaced.