This weeks topic was really interesting, because we got to watch a lot of films that had a specific narrative structure to it, which got me interestd, because I got to see films that I generally had not heard of before. I generally realy like watching films with a narrative structure, so i thought this weeks films would be interesting. The 2 films that stood out to me were "The Burden" and "Forever Green"

 

When I watched The Burden, I was struck by how deceptively gentle it felt. The miniature stop-motion sets, supermarkets, hotels, and office spaces look controlled and almost charming, but the musical numbers reveal a deep exhaustion beneath that surface. The anthropomorphic animal characters sing about routine, burnout, and quiet despair, and what affected me most was the restraint. There’s no dramatic breakdown or rebellion. The sadness is calm, normalized, and cyclical. The slow pacing and soft harmonies made the emotional weight feel heavier. It left me reflecting on how people can exist together in shared commercial spaces yet feel completely alone. Even though this film was amazing to watch, I did feel  bit disturbed watching it, as everything in the film was very unexpected, which in a way did give it a charm to it, but the music with the visuals was a bit hard to watch.

 

In contrast, the film Forever Green felt immersive and constantly transforming. Instead of contained spaces and controlled movements, this film flows organically, with bodies merging into plants and landscapes dissolving into figures. The overwhelming green tones and fluid morphing forms made me feel like identity in this film is unstable and evolving. Where The Burden feels stagnant and cyclical, Forever Green feels alive and in flux. Watching both, I felt like they approach emotional states differently. One through stillness and quiet repetition, and the other through transformation and continuous motion — yet both explore what it means to exist within systems larger than oneself. I personally did enjoy watching Forever Green a lot more, because of the beautiful colors used, and the message of the film was also really powerful. 

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Overall, I did enjoy this weeks discussion on the films a lot. It was interesting to hear what everyone thought of the various films.