Animated Short Has Us Feeling Things We Pushed Down a Long Time Ago

The late-night text, early morning regret. We’ve all done it. I’ve done it. You’ve done it, and if you say you haven’t, then power to you, you are stronger than most. One artist has managed to encapsulate the pain and awkwardness of such an interaction in an animation that hits the mark just a little too well.

Whether it was a romantic relationship cut short or a friendship gone sour, we almost all have a person in our life with whom we ought to let go yet can’t. I know I experienced it myself with an ex—the desperate need to cling on even though it hurt me, destroyed my pride, and made me resent myself. You know you should cut it clean but you can’t—it’s a horrific form of emotional self-torture.

Watching the short animation Seen, by artist Tae-young, feels like a somewhat painful reminder of that time. It perfectly encapsulates the high of feeling like maybe, just maybe, you got through to them and this time, this time, things will be better, this time it’ll work, only to be followed with the crushing blow of being rejected all over again.

Seen focuses on two nameless characters, often displayed in a diptych format, who are communicating with each other via text message. Though we are given no context, we can instantly tell that these are two people who have gone through something together and that a lingering pain still hangs over their interactions. Though the two characters never speak, their text messages and body language are enough to convey the story, and emotions, to the audience.

What starts as a reconnection and a meeting over a cup of coffee soon turns bitter, as one person chases whilst the other backs further and further away. While watching this beautiful animation, I feel the pain of the chaser, the desire to sound nonchalant and breezy while knowing that inside you are none of those things. I can also empathize with the character backing away, though have less experience with this, if I’m being entirely honest. Neither one of them is saying straight up what they want or need from the other person, and so the pain is prolonged, for both of them.

The skill in this piece is Young’s ability to portray all of this in a rather minimalistic animation style. The audience can pick up on the emotions of the characters simply from the execution of the facial animation which showcases the artist’s talent, not only as an illustrator but also as a reader of human expression. On top of this, the color design and style of each frame are visually engaging, the characters often illuminated by the cold harsh light of their phones. If you look closely, you can also see that Tae-young has added some visual clues in the background of certain scenes as to the relationship these characters once had.

To release Seen around this time of the year can bring these emotions home even harder for some people, people who may be struggling with a holiday season very different from their last one. Unfortunately, December can bring with it waves of nostalgia for a time now passed and gone, making it a little less merry for certain people.

What I can say from my point of view watching this, as someone who’s gone through it, is that time does heal things eventually. It took much longer than I expected, but it happened. I moved on. Though they may be fictitious, a part of me wishes that these two characters can move forward, too, which is a testament to the artist’s skill at pulling on our heartstrings and eliciting such strong emotions in such a short amount of time.

(featured image: TAEETIMEE)