So, I came across this old animation I saw on YouTube a while back and well... I guess it kinda sparked some creativity within me and inspired me a little to compose a Prelude.
Frankly speaking, the animation itself, is quite disturbing — terrifying infact! It goes by the title The Sad Man and features some type of creepy looking creature man whom appears to be alone in some deserted dystopian like city.
Throughout the video, we see as sad man roams through the grime and rubble of the deserted city — sad and alone. He seems so sad and empty that at some point he rages and pulls out his own fingernails just so he can feel something.
Later on though, sad man finds a new friend - a little girl. The girl is very kind and seems to be quite fond of the sad man creature as he was too, of her. Together, they explore the city and have fun until the girl becomes a little bit too comfortable with the creature...
At some point, due to her curiosity, she decides to take the mask off from the sad man's face and unfortunately when she does, she is left with a very horrifying surprise.
You can watch the video here if you're interested by the way:
I'm not gonna lie though, when I watched this animation for the very first time, I was a little creeped out. I don't know, it gave me this unexplainable chill and uneasiness; but not exactly scary per say(apart from the final jump scare scene of course), just more unsettling — disturbing. And you know what, ever since then, I haven't been able to stop myself from coming back to the video on a regular.
It's quite hypnotic in a way lol. The sheer mystery, and queerness of the whole facade behind the sad man creature, really makes for a good and creepy story.
You know, in face value, the video might appear to some viewers as your classic, weird, and random creepy cartoon, but when analysed carefully, we realize the sad and underlying message within the story.
Okay honestly, there's no one true meaning behind the mystique of the animation however, anyone can choose to interpret it the way they want to.
Generally speaking, the whole story centers around depression and how it can affect a person and the world and people around him.
Sad man for one, represents a person going through depression: sad and empty, lonely - very lonely, sees the whole world as some type of deserted wasteland...
The masks he wears is obviously just a facade to cover up he's true nature: he prefers to show the world a smiley face than the monster that lives within him.
The girl represents a person or friend trying to connect with a depressed person, doing whatever she can to make em feel better.
And then the final scene, I believe, represents that moment when the friend has finally managed to get the depressed person to open up about his/herself and their feelings. However, as it is with most lowly people, they become afraid that they've suddenly opened up and vent out. And even at times, become destructive.
The result, is the loss of another friend and the safety of your own misery and insecurity.
Well, it's either that or😅...
Perhaps Sad man was just cursed to have a wormhole for a face and has to hide himself forever behind a mask with a smiley face, so no person would ever bother disturbing him. Perhaps, it's a way to protect people even though it's at his own expense. And so, sad man is mostly just sad because of the burden and loneliness that comes with the sacrifice.
Anyway, I hope you like the piece and also! It's in the key of D minor although, it partially modulates to F major in the middle before resolving back to the tonic.
Nothing to complicated in the piece though, both theoretically or practically. Just simple left hand arpeggios to accompany a hauntingly beautiful melody.
Lol, I noted on the score that it should be played Lento e depresso; meaning — slow and depressed
So anyway, feel free to comment down below what your own interpretation of the animation is like.
I'd like very much to hear your responses on how it made you feel.
See ya!
▶️ 3Speak