Let me preface by stating outright that I am no expert, in anything really. I don't speak for any majority, I am no art expert nor am I a gaming expert, I just have a soap box and a voice.
What is it that makes art art? Why do we love it so? Why is it so controversial? Because it speaks. Through the years the voices of Shylock, of Van Gogh's Peasants, of Banksy have spoken to sooth and shake us. They reminded us of certain undeniable truths, of universal constants, they've taught us better than any school, inspired us to do more than any muse, and elicited powerful emotions within us. Art binds, art teaches, art is yada, yada, yada. Why, then, are people outside of the videogaming world so unwilling to let video games be called art? I think the simple answer is they aren't, yet.
Apart from very, very, very few examples (two of which I will go over) no game has achieved enough to be called art. Halo, Gears, Metal Gear, Lost Planet, God of War, Project Gotham, Mario, Sonic, and so on fail to achieve anything close to an undeniable truth, a universal constant. No game has ever reminded me of the finite nature of life, has ever eased my weary soul by saying it's okay to be me, or spoken to me on a deeper level than people who don't look like you are bad. Not having played every game in existence I am, of course, speaking only to the section of the market I have inhabited. I do, however, feel I have a comprehensive enough knowledge of popular games to be able to speak to what 90% of the population has experienced. But I've been wrong many times before.
Videogames wish they were movies. They want to be cinematic, they want to be exciting and adrenaline filled, and pretty, and well acted. The major problem with that line of thinking is that video games aren't movies. They are limited by the player sitting behind the controller. The creator cannot foresee what the player will. A player must be able to play the game, must feel in control, must be able to see everything going on around him. Visually, then, a game can't look like a movie because it can't use camera tricks, and editing guile, and can't be staged "just so," else the player won't be part of the action and will be left saying "gee that's looks like fun." Also, trying to incorporate a soundtrack into a game, one with any emotional force ends up being awkward and out of sync. Even if the music reacts to the players actions, those actions are, for the large part, unplanned and would end up being just as awkward, barring luck. The reason movie fights are so entertaining and potent is that they're carefully thought out and choreographed and augmented by sound and camera angle, and so on. To get that out of a game where the creator has no control over what the player is actually doing would be inconceivably difficult. Finally, movies are short. They last an hour or two whereas games last several hours. A game that lasts less than 5 hours is either too short to sell at full price or lampooned for its length. Books are much longer and arguably a more artistic media than film. Books, though, have the luxury of being able to delve deep into the mind and psychological state of a character (something which games, through inventive gameplay, could achieve given the right director). They also don't require constant activity to involve the reader.
I do, however, concede, especially after having played Bioshock, that as a storytelling medium games can work well. Playing through Bioshock excited me in ways a videogame never has before. I was fascinated by the story, wanted desperately to know more about Andrew Ryan and Rapture. The story wasn't childish, or overly angry, or even adolescent. It took on some pretty heady issues about the free market, and power, and choice, and all of that satisfied me in a way a videogame has never done before. The thing is, though, that, though it was visceral and well done, it didn't do it better than a book or even a movie could have. I learned more about the story reading about it on the internet than I did playing through it and playing through it again is a big investment (one which is worth it, but still makes me think twice before turning on the xbox). The thing that really captivated me about the game wasn't so much the intrigue and drama as it was the way they used the concession that every gamer makes, to give up free will, to further the plot. Using the gameplay as a major part of the story was, frankly, inspired. Now, I'm sure this wasn't the first game to do this, but that's beside the point, the point is they did it, and did it well. The fact that the game was well enough planned out to incorporate, or at least attempt to incorporate, the core gameplay into the story shows a dedication to the game which I haven't seen before.
Bioshock is by no means perfect. There were flaws in gameplay, like so many other games it ends up involving mass murder, though it never claims to not be an FPS. What it did do, however, was raise my standards. Games that break the fourth wall, that have childish (I'm being kind) storylines if any at all, or are just excuses to kill time will now be viewed with suspicion (despite all this I still enjoy sports games and Halo, though they provide me with little more than fun). This leads me (not so) neatly on to a shining beacon of gaming glory: Beautiful Katamri. A crazy game which, in case you missed it, requires you to push a giant ball of stuff in the hopes of snowballing it into a bigger ball. It's colourful and strange and fun, trust me. What makes this game so glorious and shiny, you may ask? The game, the whole of it, not just the story, not just a character, through and through is a critique of capitalism. A writer is asked to show, not tell, his readers how a character feels, how an action goes down. Metaphor; it's more powerful than explanation, actions speak louder than words. That's what this game does, it uses what it alone, as a game, has that no other medium has. The fact that you're using the ball to collect things to no other ends than collecting things, and that the ball doesn't exist except as a means to collect more stuff speaks to the horrors of capitalism in a way saying it, out loud, couldn't. That's art, that's what videogames should be. More than time sinks, the gameplay itself should be the point, the game and gameplay should involve more than killing (not that killing in and of itself is a bad subect, it just isn't the only one... and we should be presented with more interesting issues tied to it).
I'm not saying that fun is bad. Casual games are an important part of gaming, it's just that they're overrepresented and can't save the industry from the downward spiral it embarked upon with the Microsoft Wii and the Sony Wii unveiled at E3 this year. What we need is meaningful games that use everything at their disposal to speak like art does. How can game makers do this? By not pandering to us and giving us games with mature stories that are interesting, by using gameplay mechanics as more than a vehicle for murder and treasure hunting. Making games use the cadence and rhythm of gameplay to make music (like a sports game or any movement based game for instance not just for the simple purpose of making music). Using choice as a conduit for more interesting commentary than good vs. evil too would be fascinating. Gaming doesn't have to be mindless, it can speak, it can be art, it can be beautiful, it can be more.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Thursday, December 3, 2009
On S'Embrasse?
I don't really know but I think this video might be about the thought process of a man being left. I question the reality of the girl, Julie. I feel as though she takes on the form of an actress rehearsing for a movie audition because Paul has been running over the situation in his mind so many times. He's seen everything that has happened up to that point, every word, every intonation and had time to think it over. Time to think of why she said the things that she did, what lead her to do it the way she did, and what will come next.
To him, the situation has been run over and over in his mind so many times that now it's like an audition, it's like he's acting. He knows exactly what she's going to say and how he wants to reply. But he doesn't. We don't actually see him reply because, well, maybe he can't bring himself to just say it. Because it was easier to do in his mind with someone that isn't real than to do it with the real deal. The girl he has all the emotional baggage with. On the other hand, maybe he does say it in the end. Maybe he's shocked at how easily he was able to pull back from the situation and just say it.
Jean-Luc Abel plays his role so very well. He manages to be cold and reserved, but not unfeeling. You can tell that Paul is sad, that there's more to it than just rehearsing to him, even before his real lover comes out. He isn't overly emotional but but he hints at deep pain so subtly and effectively that I really ended up feeling terribly for this beautiful older gentleman. No explicit reason is given for sympathizing with Paul, but you end doing so because everything is hinted to just right, in the acting, in the writing. It all comes together to make a wonderful scene in which I became emotionally invested.
To her credit Alice Carel, Julie, also does very well. She convinced me that she was just overcome with a simple, honest, but ultimately unwarranted and surprising emotional response to the situation. It crossed my mind that she was written this way to reflect Paul. Because he was unable to break out into tears and show his emotions she was there to do it for him. Either way, I didn't feel she was trying too hard, and it all seemed genuine.
That's what this film really was, it was genuine. It had a slow and sad cadence, a quiet sort of underlying, sad-grey-rainy-melancholy-morning feel to it which really struck me. This is an excellent example of the fine films being showcased on FutureShorts, a channel I grow fonder of every day.
To him, the situation has been run over and over in his mind so many times that now it's like an audition, it's like he's acting. He knows exactly what she's going to say and how he wants to reply. But he doesn't. We don't actually see him reply because, well, maybe he can't bring himself to just say it. Because it was easier to do in his mind with someone that isn't real than to do it with the real deal. The girl he has all the emotional baggage with. On the other hand, maybe he does say it in the end. Maybe he's shocked at how easily he was able to pull back from the situation and just say it.
Jean-Luc Abel plays his role so very well. He manages to be cold and reserved, but not unfeeling. You can tell that Paul is sad, that there's more to it than just rehearsing to him, even before his real lover comes out. He isn't overly emotional but but he hints at deep pain so subtly and effectively that I really ended up feeling terribly for this beautiful older gentleman. No explicit reason is given for sympathizing with Paul, but you end doing so because everything is hinted to just right, in the acting, in the writing. It all comes together to make a wonderful scene in which I became emotionally invested.
To her credit Alice Carel, Julie, also does very well. She convinced me that she was just overcome with a simple, honest, but ultimately unwarranted and surprising emotional response to the situation. It crossed my mind that she was written this way to reflect Paul. Because he was unable to break out into tears and show his emotions she was there to do it for him. Either way, I didn't feel she was trying too hard, and it all seemed genuine.
That's what this film really was, it was genuine. It had a slow and sad cadence, a quiet sort of underlying, sad-grey-rainy-melancholy-morning feel to it which really struck me. This is an excellent example of the fine films being showcased on FutureShorts, a channel I grow fonder of every day.
The Option of War
I once heard it said that Franz Kafka and his friends would laugh so hard at the stories that Kafka wrote that they had to take breaks from reading them to catch their breath. I then take it that I must read his stories with comedy in mind. I never really found Kafka all that funny, though. I've always found him very dark and slightly frightening. I feel Nick Fox-Gieg, the animator for today's film, succeeds in created the perfect atmosphere for this Kafka adaptation. Fox-Gieg and Kafka actually seem like a perfect mix to me. Their styles are both dark and demented with a hint of humor. We've seen from his video A Good Joke, that he has a sense of humor. From other videos, such as Bird's Eye Bull's Eye or Six Premonitions, we've seen that he has the potential, nay a penchant for dark and eerie films. Their styles seem to me to be totally complimentary. Add to that the fact the sound effects and voice acting are superb and you've got yourself a recipe for success.
The metallic grind of the tanks in the opening scene, the beautifully soft yet tormenting narrator, the frightened boyish pleading of the private; all are perfectly chosen, and perfectly executed for this film. The animation is also well done. I'm not always a fan of his work, it becomes busy and too quick for my liking sometimes, but in this video it was just right. It was frenzied and fluid and distorted, just right.
I really like Fox-Gieg, I highly recommend his other work, it all makes for great viewing. My two favorites, next to this one of course, are The Foxhole Manifesto and A Good Joke. Another job well done for Nick.
The metallic grind of the tanks in the opening scene, the beautifully soft yet tormenting narrator, the frightened boyish pleading of the private; all are perfectly chosen, and perfectly executed for this film. The animation is also well done. I'm not always a fan of his work, it becomes busy and too quick for my liking sometimes, but in this video it was just right. It was frenzied and fluid and distorted, just right.
I really like Fox-Gieg, I highly recommend his other work, it all makes for great viewing. My two favorites, next to this one of course, are The Foxhole Manifesto and A Good Joke. Another job well done for Nick.
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Strongest Link
I breath a sweet sigh of satisfaction. I was in a foul mood and pestered by annoyingly good stories. I had nothing scathing, nothing bad to say about them. Finally, something I can really dig my teeth into. The Strongest Link, right from the outset this story is delightfully irritating. Ripping off a bad a game show from the 90's that only remained in our collective memories because of a cheesy tagline is in no way, shape or form a good place to start a story from. But I suppose lowering our expectations to then surprise us with a fantastic story, or at least make a half decent story seem better, is sort of noble.
Sadly The Strongest Link achieves neither. It is the annoying punchline that you can see coming from a mile away. The moral heavy, humor light, or in this case devoid, answer to a question no one asked. Have you ever been talking to someone older than you who naturally assumes you know nothing, possibly a teacher or a grandparent or a parent, when they decide, in a vein attempt to connect with you, that telling a horrible joke to teach you lesson about something no one needs a lesson on is a good idea. That feeling of being pinned down by someone's good intentions and irritatingly holier than thou attitude. That's what reading this story felt like. It felt like being pinned down, unable to believe that someone would actually take the time to write that every part of the sentence is very important (try to imagine me speaking with an annoying voice to highlight the fact that I find this annoying). The fact that someone could think that children would like this is what's wrong with school today. Dynamic teaching requires trust, trust that the audience is capable of thought. Teachers, don't patronize your students, it's only insulting. They will learn to match expectations, no matter how low or high those expectations are. The expectations of whomever is the author of Short Story Blog are so very low it's kind of sad. No intelligence can grow from this story. No wisdom can be gained or learned because he, or she, is not allowing his audience to learn for themselves, everything is there. Nothing more can be said about it.
Sadly The Strongest Link achieves neither. It is the annoying punchline that you can see coming from a mile away. The moral heavy, humor light, or in this case devoid, answer to a question no one asked. Have you ever been talking to someone older than you who naturally assumes you know nothing, possibly a teacher or a grandparent or a parent, when they decide, in a vein attempt to connect with you, that telling a horrible joke to teach you lesson about something no one needs a lesson on is a good idea. That feeling of being pinned down by someone's good intentions and irritatingly holier than thou attitude. That's what reading this story felt like. It felt like being pinned down, unable to believe that someone would actually take the time to write that every part of the sentence is very important (try to imagine me speaking with an annoying voice to highlight the fact that I find this annoying). The fact that someone could think that children would like this is what's wrong with school today. Dynamic teaching requires trust, trust that the audience is capable of thought. Teachers, don't patronize your students, it's only insulting. They will learn to match expectations, no matter how low or high those expectations are. The expectations of whomever is the author of Short Story Blog are so very low it's kind of sad. No intelligence can grow from this story. No wisdom can be gained or learned because he, or she, is not allowing his audience to learn for themselves, everything is there. Nothing more can be said about it.
Useless Drama
I hate when this happens. I was in a perfectly foul mood, ready to start complaining about poor story-telling and the world in general. Ready to bitch and moan about every little thing I happened to find irritating until I started reading Useless Drama. I was pleased to be greeted by typos and what I thought would be a privileged girl predictably pestering me. I was taken outside of the story and pleased to have something easy to pick on. So I didn’t close the window. I’m lucky that I decided not to. But in another, much pettier, way I’m not because now I can’t be a troll like I had intended to be because it turns out this is a good story.
In this story by Miss Guidagno (from a certain slice of society disturbingly underrepresented in this blog, the first female author to be featured) the protagonist is haunted by memories of a formal dance a year ago and how lonely she felt when the slow dances began and the couples started coupling without her. Again she is faced with the issue of facing the dance all by her lonesome.
She wants desperately for her boyfriend to go with her, but that old dog worthiness starts nipping at her and she feels guilty wanting him to face the prospect of losing his job and, in turn, his only way of getting through college for a dance. Maybe I’m misinterpreting it but the line “If I worked half as hard as him, then I might be worthy of being selfish” irritates me. Working hard doesn’t entitle you to destroy your boyfriend’s life. Nothing entitles you to ruin anyone’s life. What this line is, however, is honest. I appreciate that.
It may sound strange to say it, because I can’t remember ever having a favourite paragraph, but my favourite one is the fifth. I love the paragraph that deals with her shower because it is so elegantly written. “My hair begins to drown me” is such an evocative way of describing everything she is feeling. So much is said with so little. “My hands move the same way they do every night” something which I can relate to, something that describes her headspace so clearly. Really, really good stuff.
I liked the end too. It was a little ambiguous and I didn’t feel as sure of it as I could have, but if it is indeed as I interpreted, it’s perfect. Maybe that’s the strength of it. It allows for perfect interpretation. Maybe.
What more can I say. It was good, very good. Guidango could have a real future ahead of her if she continues to write like this, ruining trolls’ bad moods.
In this story by Miss Guidagno (from a certain slice of society disturbingly underrepresented in this blog, the first female author to be featured) the protagonist is haunted by memories of a formal dance a year ago and how lonely she felt when the slow dances began and the couples started coupling without her. Again she is faced with the issue of facing the dance all by her lonesome.
She wants desperately for her boyfriend to go with her, but that old dog worthiness starts nipping at her and she feels guilty wanting him to face the prospect of losing his job and, in turn, his only way of getting through college for a dance. Maybe I’m misinterpreting it but the line “If I worked half as hard as him, then I might be worthy of being selfish” irritates me. Working hard doesn’t entitle you to destroy your boyfriend’s life. Nothing entitles you to ruin anyone’s life. What this line is, however, is honest. I appreciate that.
It may sound strange to say it, because I can’t remember ever having a favourite paragraph, but my favourite one is the fifth. I love the paragraph that deals with her shower because it is so elegantly written. “My hair begins to drown me” is such an evocative way of describing everything she is feeling. So much is said with so little. “My hands move the same way they do every night” something which I can relate to, something that describes her headspace so clearly. Really, really good stuff.
I liked the end too. It was a little ambiguous and I didn’t feel as sure of it as I could have, but if it is indeed as I interpreted, it’s perfect. Maybe that’s the strength of it. It allows for perfect interpretation. Maybe.
What more can I say. It was good, very good. Guidango could have a real future ahead of her if she continues to write like this, ruining trolls’ bad moods.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Levni Yilmaz
Today we're going switch gears a little and I'm going to expand my horizons, as it were. I'm going to stray from my usual format and do something I'm very excited about. I'm genuinely shocked that everything came together properly so indulge me a little here while I provide you with some background.
Levni Yilmaz is a San Francisco based blogger and the creator of Tales of Mere Existence (see my blog entry immediately previous to this one) a uniquely honest and comical animated video series and comic strip, and as it turns out a really nice guy giving amateurs like me a chance to do a really cool e-interview (which by its nature isn't all that cool but my joy remains unmitigated).
I was in Lev's San Francisco pad earlier this week to ask a few questions (by San Francisco I mean Brantford, which I think it's safe to say is the San Francisco of south western Ontario, and by pad I mean in my bedroom on my computer composing, and repeatedly rewriting, an e-mail...). So here we go, my first ever genuine interview.
Q:So my first question is: just how much of you is in your films and comics? Obviously quite a bit, but do you protect yourself at all, or is it just all out there?
A:The character is very much part of my personality, but only one part. It's much more the way I used to be than I am now. That said, no, I don't think I try to protect myself that much. I don't know why, but I am not very private about that. I think I struggled to be cool in the normal sense for a long time. After I said Fuck it, it was cleansing to show off my vulnerabilities.
Q:If it is all out there, is there a point where panic sets in and you don't think you can publish the content?
A:The only time I remember it happening is when I wrote a piece with a girl I used to date. It was interesting writing with someone, because they don't let you get away with your bullshit. I had to take some of the material she wrote out, maybe I protect myself more than I admit.
Q:Where does the inspiration for those bits that aren't you come from?
A:I get a lot of ideas just watching other people, seeing similarities of the way they put on an air, to the way I put on an air. I like to think though... well, I don't think I directly make fun of people, do you? I like to draw the line there. I like to make fun of the habits and the thoughts, without directly making fun of the person.
Q:How do you differentiate between something worth recording and something that isn't?
A:If it makes me laugh, and if it feels pure. When I say pure, I mean that it has to be me trying to communicate a thought or a feeling rather than me consciously trying to be funny. That's worth noting, I almost never try to be funny. I try to write about something interesting to me, and then just trust that the comedy will come out naturally.
Q:Is there a video or a comic strip out there that you regret having published?
A:There's one in my Sunny Side Down book that I think is pretty bad called "Your Basic Worldview for the first few years of your life" that I think is pretty bad. I needed it for the sequence/timeline. I think it's a piece of shit.
Q:What made you want to start making Tales of Mere Existence? Is it therapeutic at all?
A:It was an evolution. I made the first video called "Party" and then made another in the same style. I think I still have a drunken scribble in an old notebook that says "Hey, could this be a series?". Yes, totally therapeutic.
Q:And lastly, do you have any hopes for the future of Tales of Mere Existence or are you just taking it day by day?
A:I've thought I was done with the series at least fifteen times. All I really think about is the next way that it could evolve, and take it from there.
Levni Yilmaz is a San Francisco based blogger and the creator of Tales of Mere Existence (see my blog entry immediately previous to this one) a uniquely honest and comical animated video series and comic strip, and as it turns out a really nice guy giving amateurs like me a chance to do a really cool e-interview (which by its nature isn't all that cool but my joy remains unmitigated).
I was in Lev's San Francisco pad earlier this week to ask a few questions (by San Francisco I mean Brantford, which I think it's safe to say is the San Francisco of south western Ontario, and by pad I mean in my bedroom on my computer composing, and repeatedly rewriting, an e-mail...). So here we go, my first ever genuine interview.
Q:So my first question is: just how much of you is in your films and comics? Obviously quite a bit, but do you protect yourself at all, or is it just all out there?
A:The character is very much part of my personality, but only one part. It's much more the way I used to be than I am now. That said, no, I don't think I try to protect myself that much. I don't know why, but I am not very private about that. I think I struggled to be cool in the normal sense for a long time. After I said Fuck it, it was cleansing to show off my vulnerabilities.
Q:If it is all out there, is there a point where panic sets in and you don't think you can publish the content?
A:The only time I remember it happening is when I wrote a piece with a girl I used to date. It was interesting writing with someone, because they don't let you get away with your bullshit. I had to take some of the material she wrote out, maybe I protect myself more than I admit.
Q:Where does the inspiration for those bits that aren't you come from?
A:I get a lot of ideas just watching other people, seeing similarities of the way they put on an air, to the way I put on an air. I like to think though... well, I don't think I directly make fun of people, do you? I like to draw the line there. I like to make fun of the habits and the thoughts, without directly making fun of the person.
Q:How do you differentiate between something worth recording and something that isn't?
A:If it makes me laugh, and if it feels pure. When I say pure, I mean that it has to be me trying to communicate a thought or a feeling rather than me consciously trying to be funny. That's worth noting, I almost never try to be funny. I try to write about something interesting to me, and then just trust that the comedy will come out naturally.
Q:Is there a video or a comic strip out there that you regret having published?
A:There's one in my Sunny Side Down book that I think is pretty bad called "Your Basic Worldview for the first few years of your life" that I think is pretty bad. I needed it for the sequence/timeline. I think it's a piece of shit.
Q:What made you want to start making Tales of Mere Existence? Is it therapeutic at all?
A:It was an evolution. I made the first video called "Party" and then made another in the same style. I think I still have a drunken scribble in an old notebook that says "Hey, could this be a series?". Yes, totally therapeutic.
Q:And lastly, do you have any hopes for the future of Tales of Mere Existence or are you just taking it day by day?
A:I've thought I was done with the series at least fifteen times. All I really think about is the next way that it could evolve, and take it from there.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Youth and Aging
"One of the main reasons why older people get nostalgic about their youth is that, when they were young, they didn't know how things were going to turn out yet." Best. Line. Ever. How delightfully depressing and insulting. Self deprecating too I suppose. I love it. It really strikes a chord with me because of just how blunt and, although I'm not old yet and can't really comment, honest it is. Maybe it isn't the truth for everyone but I sometimes already sometimes feel that way and I know that it's true for some, and Mr. Yilmaz sure makes me feel like he means it.
Even though I still have enough potential left in front of me to not be hugely concerned by the potential I've lost behind me, this line, and in fact this whole video speaks to me. I am all at once excited and terrified of the future because I don't know what it will hold. I look forward to being old and thinking back on my youth, learning what will come, which new fantastical devices will reshape the world and how the world will look back on the time that was mine. On the other hand I could die tomorrow, I could fail all my classes, never achieve any of the things I'd like so desperately to achieve and die cold and alone. It's all very frightening and very important to each of us. I think that's the strength of this video. It doesn't exactly offer terribly new insight into the subject of youth and aging, nor does it answer any questions about it, it just cuts through the crap. Yilmaz doesn't sugar coat anything. He observes and comments and the fact that someone else is feeling the same thing(s) as we are is in itself uplifting. It means that when we die we'll feel a little less cold or alone. At least, that's how I feel.
Youth and Aging is actually the opposite of depressing to me, it's almost uplifting because even though I'm not closer to writing for the New Yorker, I know that a lot of people aren't getting everything they want to get done done. Knowing that, I can approach the situation with less panic, less fear, and deal with it like a normal problem and have a better chance of achieving what I wanted to. I'll also feel less terrible about myself if I don't achieve my goal because I'm in good company.
The slightly deadpan narration and enlivened animation add to this effect wonderfully. The whole thing is really well done, no wonder "Cut Up" picked it up. I highly recommend this one and all the "Tales of Mere Existence" lineup. They're all just as funny, honest, sad or strangely uplifting as this one and the style is unique and interesting.
Even though I still have enough potential left in front of me to not be hugely concerned by the potential I've lost behind me, this line, and in fact this whole video speaks to me. I am all at once excited and terrified of the future because I don't know what it will hold. I look forward to being old and thinking back on my youth, learning what will come, which new fantastical devices will reshape the world and how the world will look back on the time that was mine. On the other hand I could die tomorrow, I could fail all my classes, never achieve any of the things I'd like so desperately to achieve and die cold and alone. It's all very frightening and very important to each of us. I think that's the strength of this video. It doesn't exactly offer terribly new insight into the subject of youth and aging, nor does it answer any questions about it, it just cuts through the crap. Yilmaz doesn't sugar coat anything. He observes and comments and the fact that someone else is feeling the same thing(s) as we are is in itself uplifting. It means that when we die we'll feel a little less cold or alone. At least, that's how I feel.
Youth and Aging is actually the opposite of depressing to me, it's almost uplifting because even though I'm not closer to writing for the New Yorker, I know that a lot of people aren't getting everything they want to get done done. Knowing that, I can approach the situation with less panic, less fear, and deal with it like a normal problem and have a better chance of achieving what I wanted to. I'll also feel less terrible about myself if I don't achieve my goal because I'm in good company.
The slightly deadpan narration and enlivened animation add to this effect wonderfully. The whole thing is really well done, no wonder "Cut Up" picked it up. I highly recommend this one and all the "Tales of Mere Existence" lineup. They're all just as funny, honest, sad or strangely uplifting as this one and the style is unique and interesting.
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