Bear Hug

Synopsis

A middle-class English kitchen, where the ordinary and the surreal collide.

Linda and David, a middle-aged couple, struggle to adjust when their 18-year-old son Michael returns home – as a bear. They attempt to maintain normalcy, serving dinner and discussing driving lessons, even as Michael’s new form creates increasingly bizarre and dangerous situations. As Michael’s behavior becomes more feral, destroying parts of the house and injuring his parents, Linda and David are forced to confront the painful reality that their son may never return to his human self.

French’s darkly comic play uses its absurdist premise to explore themes of parental love, loss, and the difficulties of letting go. The surreal juxtaposition of a bear in human clothing against the backdrop of a typical English home creates both humor and pathos. Through its examination of unconditional love, denial, and the struggle to accept change, Bear Hug offers a poignant metaphor for the challenges parents face as their children grow into adults and become unrecognisable from the babies they once knew.