Jack Stauber’s OPAL | adult swim smalls

A curious girl investigates the cries she hears coming from a forbidden house across the street.

created by Jack Stauber
@jackstauber on IG
 
Look for the OPAL soundtrack release Friday 10/6 on Water Tower

#JackStaubersOpal #AdultSwimSmalls

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[noonedream]

"My child is fine"


Your child found a better family in a fast food advertisement.

[bleachednoodle]

None of them can see her. The grandpa is blind, the mirror man is too obsessed with himself, and the mother's vision is too poor to see her. When she is in her fantasy dreamland, they say "We see you, Opal". She just wants to be seen.

[laura-niym]

the most disturbing part is that so many kids grow up like this. escaping into a fantasy world where everything is normal, scared of their reality at home and scared of being like the rest of their family

[aquaticstripper]

"You're just as powerless as I am, Claire" the only thing more painful than seeing a parent be so helpless is knowing that you joined them in their victim complex during your formative years.

[a.y.]

i can't believe that jack voiced every single character in this short. it's kind of obvious, but it's weird to think about.

[vincentrusso]

The father uses childish dialogue to describe himself. Growing small etc. he says I’m still growing why is everyone hard on me. He doesn’t talk about himself as an adult so he can avoid responsibility or accountability.

[Nothxxxxxxx]

It's so depressing that she doesn't come up with a good line in her imagination, instead of "we love you opal!" It's just "we see you opal" she wants the bare minimum

[xTurtleGirlx]

The father is probably the most interesting character for me as he could be interpreted as someone who became narcissistic as a coping mechanism for the mother’s abuse. During the mother’s song there is a brief sequence of her hitting a person with a bottle - heavily implied to be the father, to the point where 911 was called. We also see a split second image of the father’s true face at the end which shows his face is caved in which is probably also a result of the abuse.

He sings “They turned me down now I live my nightmare” - perhaps referring to authorities not believing him and ignoring the abuse because he is male and the perpetrator is his wife. He also mentions that “Everybody’s so mad at me” probably talking about the mother’s anger issues, so now he hides in the bathroom from her, fixing himself to either affirm his self-worth, cover up the abuse, or to please his wife.

Because he’s the only character to not physically threaten Claire people assume that he is the “least abusive” person in the house, but notice he is the only one who never calls Claire by her name and is probably the most neglectful adult, at least the mom and the grandpa see a use for her, even if it’s selfish. And by the way he insults her ankles he probably makes her self esteem worse while the mom and grandpa maybe make her feel useful sometimes in a messed up way.

[demonicfroggie]

The fact that Claire has never had a burger before and ends up dancing around it because she doesnt understand what you're supposed to do with it is heartbreaking

[davidkonevky]

The reason her family says "we see you, opal" instead of something like "we love you, opal" is because she don't wants to be loved, at least the way her family does it. Her grandfather loves her, but only because she gives him his cigarretes. Her dad loves her, but only because she gives attention to him. And her mother loves her, because she uses her daughter as an escape of her horrible self. Opal has never seen true love, the only love she's ever experienced is toxic, crooked. She doesn't want to be loved, she wants to be seen as something else, not something that's just there to satisfy their awful addictions.

[Xtoxicgoddesx]

The fact claire's hair is an attempt at pigtails but her hair is really just knotted that way is sad af

[Jerosmaximus]

The design of Claire is simply fantastic, not only is she clearly malnourished, but her eyes serve a purpose as well.
She just wants to be seen by her family, and she is the only once with big eyes, his grandpa is blind, his fathers eyes just focus on himself, and her mother can barely keep them open. But at any moment you can clearly see in the reflection of her eyes what she is looking at, when she is in her fantasy, you can see the lights on the billboard, and when heading to her room, you can see the window in her eyes, because its the only place where she wants to be.

[Icycrits]

The first time you watch this, the horror comes from the fact that you have no idea what could be in "that house across the street." The second time you watch it, the true horror sets in from knowing exactly what's in the house. The horror of a hopeless, inescapable reality.

[Merchantic]

When you realize she never even takes a bite of the burger because she can't imagine what it tastes like. She has no clue, just what it represents.

[humanisme]

When I first watched this, I thought the family pulling the curtains on Opal/Claire’s real house was really creepy, like the family was trapping her there, or there was a dark secret they were hiding from her. But the second watch... it’s just sad. It’s like Opal/Claire’s subconscious mind is trying to protect her from her life, trying to keep her happy for even a little while longer. This short is truly a masterpiece.

[ShrekDonkey-lv]

So I love everyone picking this apart and pointing out all of the nuances to make the picture bigger. I noticed several things nobody has pointed out yet. She doesnt eat the burger, not because she doesnt know how to, but likely because eating it would snap her out of the fantasy, shes likely very hungry from being outside all day (assuming) and pretending to eat would worsen the hunger. On the way into the house an outside light comes on, scaring her. This leads me to believe that it was the streetlight coming on, and she needed to get inside for curfew. In the 80s and 90s, the streetlight coming on meant 'go home' for the kids who were locked out of the house during the day. Knowing the streetlights on are on, she knows that the people inside are more alert and waiting for her to show up at this time. She can read the sign that says 'opals burgers', so she is school age. So she likely was outside after school, where she probably eats the only meal shes given on a daily basis. All three adults in the house are narcissistic, not just the father. They all sing about themselves and what they want/need and they all need something from the child. The grandfather thinks the people on tv are talking to him and even tells her "they fight over me like dogs". He needs her to bring his cigarettes. The father sings about the events that led to his internal vanity complex and how he now feels the need to constantly fix and alter his appearance and how he represents himself "Sorry, my brain" he says after insulting her ankles. His severe god complex muddles the trauma from his abusive wife, he thinks he needs to make himself into a god. "Creating the wold its next new Savior" is one of his last lines. He wants the child to stay and listen to his monologue and show him sympathy and pity. The mothers song is self-explaining, she had the child for emotional support and to give her (the mother) unconditional love (from the child). Sadly this is the case for many children, people have babies for very selfish reasons. The mother wants the child to stay and take the physical abuse that comes from her anger.The music coming from her room is both beautiful and horrifying at the same time, it represents her sanctuary in a hellish place. The father continues to fix the mirror back to his face, and his voice goes distorted when the mirror reflects his forehead mouth, representing the chaos in his head. The light from the window reflects in her eyes as she makes her way through the house, representing her desire to get upstairs to safety. The mother is physically abusive to both the child and the father, at the end before Claire runs upstairs the mother lunges at her. "You're just as powerless as I am Claire, see?" She doesn't imagine them saying "we love you" likely because the word hasnt been used in the proper way towards her. Maybe the word has been said in in passing, but she's never been told "I love you". So she cannot imagine them saying it to her.
As someone who lived a similar life as a child, I agree with the statement that art like this is meant to comfort the disturbed. I enjoy videos and art that represent the horrors i experienced, it gives me a sense of peace to know that my suffering was not a singular experience, and to see other people be brave and confident enough to come forward and say "this is what happened to me" and to stand up for the children today who need protection. The horror-esque type of art is meant to freak you out, because our childhoods felt just like that. A nightmare that we couldnt click away from or wake up from. The escapism into fantasy worlds was our only survival tool, and many of us are still holding onto it, long into adulthood.

[eyeseedee]

Considering the last thing Jack did for Adult Swim was essentially a lighthearted grocery store allegory for self-improvement, I didn't expect this one to rip my heart into pieces...

[uhohitsme]

Has no one noticed that the fantasy-mom is encouraging Claire just by picking up a burger. saying things like "you can do it!"
It really shows that Claire really wants her real mother to encourage her and show her attention for once even for the most simplest things

[seancondon]

I like how a running theme is, she can’t be seen, not by the grandpa, nor the dad, or the mother in her drunken state, it’s a horrifying metaphor about her being used

[survival]

I just now noticed how mirror man adjusts the mirror so that the reflection of his face aligns with Opal's body, hence "I actually look good in that" and the ankle dig. And when he says things like "I'm still growing you know? why be so negative?" he is trying to one up Opal's struggles, the way narcissists do.