Large Fierce Mammal

“True Love is the darkest of sentiments both because it has the power to motivate those blessed enough to be possessed by it to the performance of feats that are incomprehensible to the great unwashed, and because, in its truest form, it does not exist to most of the world. In that, it is truly dark because True Love is only understood by the few who are granted its epiphany by the Gods. I speak in absolutes here because I, and my beloved Mrs. LFM, are so possessed.

“If you’ve ever truly loved a Dog you’ve experienced True Love. To understand True Love you must first grasp the one thing that seems anathema to it – the fact that all living things must die. While I myself intend to live forever or die trying, the aforementioned fact is one of the Great Truths of the Universe. One that any mature being must embrace with an open heart or be forever doomed to doubt, misery, and the hell of the hesitant.

“Many will contest that statement, and to them I will point out that likewise, many do not know whether their asshole is bored or punched. Nay, ignore the clamourings of the ignorant good reader, and hark instead to my words, consorting not with those who will remain ignorant of True Love in perpetuity. True Love is not of the realm of the touchy feely nor is it born of gonads and strife. It has nothing to do with saving kittens from drowning, nor children from bullies. It has nothing to do with good or evil, although it can be a force for either. It is actually a fundamental power of Nature that, like Glinda the Good Witch, can only be underestimated at your peril.” ~ Dark Sentiments Season 1 – Day 28

The personification of death spans cultures in all times and places. In some, the portfolio falls to a God, while others assign it to a specific supernatural character. Whichever or whatever does the deed, the task isn’t the actual bringing of death to mortal beings because that is preordained from the beginning, but rather to appear at the moment of Truth to lead the doomed  out of this mortal coil. Death, then, is not in itself a “dark sentiment” because every birth comes with one at no extra charge. In itself, it is neither good nor evil, for only the mind of Man can bring either into the world. Everything else falls to Nature, and Her only concern is that things play out as they were meant to be. That being said, there is nobility in living Life well, and the proper mourning of its passing.

Viewed as an entity, the neutrality of Death is a given. It embraces all stations, and all creatures, with absolute equality, and has no role in the timing of its appointments. One might think the Power and Beauty of Life, of Love, might be knowledge irrelevant to Death’s consideration. Tonight’s presentation is a strong argument to the contrary.

The Life of Death is an animated short film by Dutch animator Marsha Onderstijn who describes it thus:

“The Life of Death was my graduation film. A graduation film is like a business card and I wanted mine to be something special. So I chose a big theme; Life and Death. I used my own view on this theme and wrapped it all up in a small story.

“I have never viewed Death as something dark or evil, and I wanted to explore that in my animation. So Death became the protagonist of my story. I wanted to make him a character that an audience could relate to and sympathize with. What would it be like to be Death? To always have to end lives and to remain behind, alone. Maybe Death is a creature with feelings and emotions? What if Death fell in Love with Life?

“The Doe is my visualization of Life. She isn’t afraid of Death and builds a friendship with him throughout her life. And when her time has come, she embraces Death like the friend he has become.” ~ An Interview with Marsha Onderstijn , The ORIGINAL Van Gogh’s Ear Anthology

With a musical score by Dutch songwriter/musician Ramon De Wilde, settle back and absorb The Life of Death.