November 25, 2009
Author's Response:
There's a flaw in how some people view a collab. They tend to tear it apart and consider the clips individually, instead of as a whole - which defeats the intent of a collaboration.
You shouldn't base your critique on the separate components, but rather the whole movie. When you start thinking of it that way, you realize that the 'literal' clips make exceptional contrasts.
If you think of the two 'happy birthday' lines, for example, you'll notice that the first 'happy birthday' is a rather idyllic interpretation complete with big smiles, tacky wrapping and bright colors, where the second 'happy birthday' line is accompanied by an image of a soon-to-be mother sitting in a dark alley behind a dumpster, crying.
Now, if you take those two clips alone there isn't much to them:
The idyllic scene is just that - ideal; bright, happy and a flawless representation of the perfect birthday.
The scene in the alley is the antithesis of that ideal birthday - dark, sad and likely the last thing anyone wants to have happen, much less on their birthday.
Individually they have an impact, but lack a third dimension. The ideal clip lacks reality and the alley clip lacks heart. When you see them play side by side, however, you get a complete sentence. You see the words 'happy birthday' in two completely different and wholly unnerving lights - and you realize that both happen every day, and there's always a little of one in the other.
To me, the different clips, though sometimes quite literal, contrast each other in many different ways when you put them side by side and think of them together.
At least that's my opinion.
There must be something people are seeing in this, in any case...
