An amazing stepping stone.
Well, I don't normally write reviews. But when a little known flash comes along that deserves constructive criticism, I do my best to give it.
Now how I do reviews is kind of a give and take system. I try to point out all aspects of the flash that I notice, both good and bad. I try to stay away from the bad, but we all need to acknowledge the stains on our smocks before we can get any better.
So, good things first. Firstly, I liked the smoothness of the animation. It was really clean and it flowed well in time with the song itself. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a hopeful animation turn into filth because the animator got lazy with the timing and the drawing aspects of it. I'm glad to see you taking initiative on this. Second, I have to say that I liked the particular things you decided to throw into this animation alongside the song itself. Hania is a particularly deep and moving songwriter, and most of her work can't really be put into tangible images. You've done a fairly good job of giving a visual to an enigma.
And I'm sorry that the praise section is shorter than the problem section, but I always have an easier time of finding things wrong than right. So if I've left anything out, rest assured that I thought it was fine enough to not have to bring up.
Now for the not so good bits. Mind you, I'm not trying to be mean, but truthful.
First, I have to refer to what I said about your animation being clean. Having a clean looking flash is an important aspect of the whole picture. However, there are certain aspects of life and fantasy that don't really need or should even have a clean look. The song you chose is dark, dreary, depressing, and scary even. Your flash should reflect that. And while the imagery you chose was appropriate, I thought it would have looked better if you had used a bit more of a 'grainy' look. More ragged, more jaggedy, more ripped, more tattered. Make it look like your viewing your flash behind the veil of a spiderweb. Make your audience feel as morbid and depressed as the girl does in the song. You were getting there, but it all seemed a bit too cartooney to really drive the point home fully.
One last thing that slightly irked me was the reusing of animation. I know how you don't want to have to keep animating everything individually inside a flash, but reusing whole animations really isn't cool. At least, not on their own. I'm referring to the 'chorus' bit, I suppose, when the girl is being put into the machine. I like the animation, the art, the whole idea of it. And even though it was the same words being sung when you used the animation, considering that it happened as a flashback in the 'story' of the song, I wouldn't have used it exactly as you did the first time around. I would suggest that it should have been faded in the background as the girl went about her 'life' at that point, remembering how she got to where she is. Maybe a picture montage with the images floating behind her head or something. My main point is: please don't use the same animation exactly the same way twice if you can avoid it. It shouts laziness, even if you didn't intend to be.
But yes, apart from those few nitpicks, I'd have to say that you have made a fine animation here. Your skills are not in question, simply the methods in which you apply them. Use this experience as a stepping stone to leap to new heights in your flash career.