Festivids!

Dear Festividder,

Hi. It's me, Jetpack Monkey. Again. I want you to know that you are the most terrible, wonderful person ever. I have only recently come to the point where I can watch this vid from start to finish without crying. Still tearing up, though. That's never not going to happen.

There are a couple valid points of view one can choose for an Eyes Without a Face vid. You could look at Dr. Génessier and his control issues. You can look at the ever devoted Louise as she commits horrible acts in the name of love.

But no. You picked Christiane, because you know that the hurt in this movie is conveyed by two widened eyes behind a featureless mask. The grace of this movie is conveyed in her flowing body language. If you want to bring the pain, and you clearly did, it had to be Christiane.

And then the song. Oh the song. The song which not only encapsulates Christiane's plight and tragedy, but also neatly works in her father's control issues that I mentioned previously... Oh. You must teach me your mastery of song selection. I bow before you.

I love the vids starts with her from behind and ends that way. Once with her entering an interior -- the surgery room that is part and parcel with her imprisonment -- and then at the end with her outdoors, free at last. But of course we also just saw the cost of her freedom. It's a very bittersweet ending and I love how you just... hold on that last shot.

I just cannot say how brilliant it is that both "Rays of Light" correspond with her having her mask off -- one on the mask and one on the fuzzy shot of her destroyed face.

Ugh. You are a horrible monster, Festividder, for making me feel all of these things so vividly. Call me.

JPM