life is short

September 27, 2010 4:05 PM

Fallen [SLVimeo]. A bit of melancholy existentialism? An atheist manifesto? Just an adorable animated short? In any case, it's the saddest, sweetest, most wonderful thing I've seen all week.
posted by eugenen (39 comments total)

I saw this on Andrew Sullivan last night and loved it. The animation is really lovely and the way it conveys the impossibly complicated and heavy idea of non-religious mortality is amazing. The bit at the end as he fades with this scared smile is just.....
posted by lattiboy at 4:09 PM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

A very apt metaphor. I came in here with snark in my heart, even thinking "oh how predictable" but I think it was very touching and well done. Thanks for sharing.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 4:29 PM on September 27, 2010

Yeah, I saw that linked on Andrew Sullivans blog with the thing about how it "Explains Atheism" or something and all I can think is "WTF?" I guess it explains why "death isn't a bad thing" but what does it have to do with the non-existence of the supernatural? Not all religions offer immortality as a bargaining chip.
posted by delmoi at 4:35 PM on September 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

It's a cute little anthropomorphic meteor doing what meteors do. Why does it need to mean anything?
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 4:41 PM on September 27, 2010

Why does it need to mean anything?

...which is oddly, the message it gives about life in general.

The same animator has a piece in a very different style with a very different message in "Dream to Fly".

And another very different message in "Hot Ball of Fire" ("eat your vegetables OR ELSE")
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:58 PM on September 27, 2010

Why does it need to mean anything?

...which is oddly, the message it gives about life in general.

Which is odd, since no scientist worth his or her salt would look at a meteor that spontaneously became sentient during a fall to Earth and conclude that it doesn't mean anything.
posted by The World Famous at 5:01 PM on September 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

Not again.
posted by bitslayer at 5:02 PM on September 27, 2010 [6 favorites]

I'm an atheist. I liked the video. It's a little cute, and a little touching, and original, and pretty to look at. I don't think it says anything about my worldview, though.
posted by ixohoxi at 5:37 PM on September 27, 2010 [4 favorites]

Which is odd, since no scientist worth his or her salt would look at a meteor that spontaneously became sentient during a fall to Earth and conclude that it doesn't mean anything.

No scientist worth his or her salt would look at a fucking cartoon and conclude that it should be taken literally, either.
posted by vorfeed at 5:38 PM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

No scientist worth his or her salt would look at a fucking cartoon and conclude that it should be taken literally, either.

True.
posted by The World Famous at 5:42 PM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

I have the terrible urge to comment that it could have been improved by having the "little" meteor turn out to be A WORLDBUSTING ASTEROID!!!111!! I mean, after all, there isn't much evidence of scale here...

But I won't.

Awwwwwwwwww....
posted by tspae at 6:12 PM on September 27, 2010

This meteor is a litmus test!
posted by sciurus at 6:25 PM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Leonardo Decaprio is slated to play the meteor in the live action movie.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:26 PM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

So. Umm. Enjoy the journey cuz yr gonna die anyhow? How original.
posted by kozad at 6:29 PM on September 27, 2010

Wait, we're all going to die?

OH, SHIT!
posted by found missing at 6:32 PM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Reminds me of a little bit in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
posted by smcameron at 6:37 PM on September 27, 2010

So. Umm. Enjoy the journey cuz yr gonna die anyhow? How original.

Lots of worthwhile things can be boiled down to a non-original message, if you want to do that. "Don't give up on your dreams" and "True love is awesome" and "Your family is more important than your career" and "Freedom is more important than life" and "Don't let others control you" and "Nazis suck." That doesn't make those things bad, or failures.

Or, to point at another cliche message from many worthwhile stories, it's the journey, not just the destination.
posted by Tomorrowful at 6:41 PM on September 27, 2010 [5 favorites]

Man, the internet has everything.
posted by smcameron at 6:41 PM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Reminds me of a little bit in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.\

That was my first thought as well... whale, potted plant, meteorite same diff
posted by DetonatedManiac at 6:43 PM on September 27, 2010

and to dovetail on Tomorrowful:

there are only really 32 stories in all of human existence, or one mythic story told a thousand ways... or they say that all the great stories in some sense were written by Shakespeare, and he stole all his stuff from Milton who stole all his stuff from the late Greek playwrights who wrote it earlier and better, and they probably stole everything from Homer, and I guarantee he stole it from someone with eyes to have seen the stuff he was talking about....

So what? none of them did it with pixar meteorites so enjoy the show and if you keep telling us you've seen it all already then maybe you should end it for yourself prematurely, but don't ruin it for the other rubes. As far as they know this is the greatest show on earth never anything better to be seen before or since... that's a pretty nice perspective don't 'cha think?
posted by DetonatedManiac at 6:51 PM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yes, do tell me all about anthropomorphism. I am a jealous and angry MeFite :)
posted by joe lisboa at 7:07 PM on September 27, 2010

In case the dreadful smiley emoticon was not sufficient: I was gently teasing. I was underwhelmed by the video but mostly because it was hyped and I thought it would be a more direct statement. Enjoyed it nonetheless.
posted by joe lisboa at 7:11 PM on September 27, 2010

Yes, Tomorrowful, I agree with you. I am not as jaded as I appear: the message that, for example, love can mean great sacrifice - or the examples you give - can be told again and again and not lose their power or charm. But they have to be told in a new way to entice me. This video had a one-dimensional message, the meteor had a limited emotional range - even for a meteor - and his journey through the atmosphere spent a lot of wasted time with no new nuances to the old message, and the annoying lack of spatial/temporal continuity made the last predictable minute or two drag on and on.
posted by kozad at 7:54 PM on September 27, 2010

a meteor that spontaneously became sentient during a fall to Earth

COULD THIS HAPPEN? 'Cause the potential ethical conundrum would be about the only thing that could make me watch Armageddon again.
posted by doublehappy at 8:10 PM on September 27, 2010

It could happen if there were a god.
posted by found missing at 8:13 PM on September 27, 2010

I'm an atheist, and this accurately portrayed my view of the world, but probably only because I drink a shitload of cough syrup.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 8:19 PM on September 27, 2010

This accurately portrayed my view of the world because in a previous life I was an atheist meteor.
posted by Memo at 8:21 PM on September 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

This accurately portrayed my view of the world because in a previous life I was an atheist meteor.

Carol???
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 8:23 PM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Uppity Pigeon #2: "This accurately portrayed my view of the world because in a previous life I was an atheist meteor.

Carol???"

Paw paw!?
posted by Memo at 8:25 PM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

This has nothing on Kiwi.
posted by clockworkjoe at 8:38 PM on September 27, 2010 [7 favorites]

My worldview would've been more gratified had the adorable godless meteor spent its final few minutes of adorable godlessness in intense agony as the atmosphere gnawed its limbs and eyelids off.
posted by flechsig at 10:34 PM on September 27, 2010

I left the impression of being very Taoist to me.
posted by spiderskull at 10:38 PM on September 27, 2010

It's a cartoon version of the Kübler-Ross model, commonly known as the five stages of grief. Pretty clearly illustrated in the demonstrated emotional spectrum of the li'l sucker on his way down.
posted by FatherDagon at 10:56 PM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Needs more tsunami.
posted by benzenedream at 1:15 AM on September 28, 2010

I liked it. Not sure I'd tie it to the 5 grief stages though - more of a realisation of what will 'kill' it (based on experience with clouds), then an attempt to change the situation, followed by acceptance and a willingness to enjoy what's on offer because it'll be gone all too soon. Or that's what I got from it, anyway.

Could have done with more modelling on the face though, I didn't think it was expressive enough to let the audience read the emotions clearly. Eyes and eyebrows alone can communicate volumes, but they've got to be flexible enough to take a lot of positions.
posted by harriet vane at 3:09 AM on September 28, 2010

I halfway expected it to vaporize long before hitting the sea - which would give it all a slightly different, but also interesting message.
posted by ymgve at 4:39 AM on September 28, 2010

Leonardo Decaprio is slated to play the meteor in the live action movie.
The meteor has a dead wife?
posted by jrossi4r at 6:13 AM on September 28, 2010

Of course the story continues when the sun novas and that little asteroid is freed to ride the wave of exploding light to other planets.

Maybe Jesus wants us for sunbeams afterall.
posted by Samuel Farrow at 10:18 AM on September 28, 2010

the great stories in some sense were written by Shakespeare, and he stole all his stuff from Milton

You know, I'm about as skeptical as they come, but if evidence emerges that William Shakespeare literally time traveled to the other end of the 17th century to steal plotlines from John Milton, I might give any other wack-a-doo theory you got a second chance.
posted by thivaia at 11:15 AM on September 28, 2010