Opera

The concept of using a pyramid with different rooms representing different points of time is clever. And I throughly enjoyed the animation. It almost felt like a "Where's Waldo" discovering all the micro-interactions. However, I was so confused and overwhelmed of what and where I needed to focus my attention to mid-way through.

I am by no means a history buff but I think I have a reasonable grasp on world history...although I got utterly lost in where we were in the telling of human history. I spent so much of the viewing trying to figure out the chronological timeline that the pyramid was representing. And I'm still confused at what I was supposed to gain from this telling of human history. Maybe if I rewatched it after settling in to the storytelling style it would be clearer. TLDR: Intriguing idea with overwhelming visuals that make for an unclear plot.

How do you even review this? It's so complicated and intricate. I have no idea what it means. It could be genius or nothing at all. Seems impressive.

It's a vaguely pyramidal construct divided into dozens of different rooms; in each of them, something is going on. As the camera slowly pans from the top to the bottom, different events come into focus.

This reminded me of one of those elaborate automata built around medieval clocks, in which knights come out and fight dragons, figures ring bells, and all sorts of activity goes on...... but is it art?

Well, you could argue it is, although that leaves us to worry about the distinction between the rude mechanical and the creative artist. My cousin was impressed by the ability of the film maker to draw your eye to one elaborate scenario to the next; my reply was to ask what else you were going to do for nine minutes, especially after paying to see this and the other bits of animation in the show?

There is evident skill in this one, but to what end? It strikes me that this works as a sample reel, something to show people looking to hire animators to show what great work he and his staff can do.

Opera - a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes The instruments and music are the "lives" we see in action. Moving, connecting, intersecting. In their expressions, how it all varies as it becomes more is likened to an opera of life. The big, small, rise and fall, good, bad and pauses. Creatively done. "Let the curtain rise and the orchestra begins "

At first I couldn't understand what was going on (or what had happed), but went back and watched several times. So many things going on about the human condition: war, capital punishment, environmental destruction, as well as other themes. I am rooting for this one to win the Oscar.