I have such a soft spot for the people left behind after a loved one dies. I have not personally experienced the death of someone close to me, so I shouldn't even attempt to relate or associate with someone who has. All the same, I can't begin to imagine how difficult it would be to carry on with life after a tragedy like that has occurred. The films Leeper showed us today really moved me. I tried to yawn it off and not cry. I feel like such a loser when cartoons get to me like that- but whatever.
The short animation, Father and Daughter by Michael Dudok de Wit is about a father saying goodbye to his daughter, and the daughter's desire to see him again because she loves him so much. She visits the spot where he left her, and she goes back to that spot her whole life in hopes that he'll be there. The ending shows her in her old age, and she heads off in the direction that her father went. I can only assume this means she died. As she continues walking, her father is revealed to her, and they embrace each other for the first time in a long time. The beautiful music and the thought of being reunited with a loved one after a long period of time overwhelms me. That film captivated me and I feel like I fully experienced it- maybe a little too much haha.
As if it couldn't get any worse, Leeper shows us Bunny by Chris Wedge. I've seen this one before and when he said the title I instantly flew back in time to my childhood. I remember the Ice Age DVD had this in its bonus features, and my sister and I watched it on a family road trip. It was the first animated film I ever saw that wasn't cute or comedic. I hated it so much because it made me so sad. The ending is similar to the Father and Daughter film because the bunny dies and is reunited with her husband in heaven. I am such a sucker for the beautiful moment when people who love each other are separated by death, but are reunited in the end. If you ever want to make me cry just show me a film like these two. I understand that today's class was about fairytales, but it felt more like the tragedy classes to me. I just got way too emotionally involved in the moments leading up to the happy ending haha I'm so lame.
As a kid, I've always hated sad endings because I thought there was a happy ending for someone somewhere. But thinking about sad endings or happy endings just means there's more to the story that we've just haven't gotten to yet.
ReplyDeleteIce Age! Yes, that was it! I knew I saw it as a bonus feature when I was younger, but I couldn't remember what movie.
ReplyDeleteAnd Josh, it's okay, I teared up a little in class as well. Don't be ashamed if these things make you cry or emotional; that's what they try to do! If it can hit our emotions like that, then the art is doing what it was created to do.