SOLIPSIST

Directed by Andrew Thomas Huang

WINNER at SLAMDANCE 2012 of the Special Jury Prize for Experimental Short



Cast Featuring: Mary Elise Hayden, Marissa Merrill & Dustin Edward

Executive Producers: David Lyons & Andrew Huang
Producers: Laura Merians & Stephanie Marshall
Cinematographer: Laura Merians
Production Designer: Hugh Zeigler
Costume Designer: Lindsey Mortensen
Hair & Makeup Designer: Jennifer Cunningham
Sound Design & Original Score: Andrew Huang

A Moo Studios & Future You Production

Copyright 2012 Andrew Huang All Rights Reserved.

[andrewhu]

sorry guys, had to make the video private for a day because of some premiere issues, but it's back up! Enjoy :)

[bryanbunchesofoats]

When the two girls and the two boys are shown, one of them is you. The other is a representation of what you believe everyone else experiences as 'life'. We think that everyone else experiences life just as we do. We feel pain the same, feel joy, sadness, etc. The fish like creatures represent all of us in the world Interacting. With each lightning bolt representing a death. At the end, everything turns to sand. This represents your death. When you die, everything in the world ceases to exist. The people you believe that were conscience merely existed due to your existence.

[aurora-vdij]

this is so weird and so strange and so damn beautiful

[caseyaulbach]

Omg finally! I've been searching for this video for over 6 years since my Media Studies teacher showed it to us in grade 12. I had no idea the name, I finally found it in a playlist of random surrealist art videos! Jumping with joy

[brendanbennett]

These 10 minutes of my life are going in the 'other' category.

[kaniyaru]

after watching this four times, I can proudly say: I don't get it.

Edit: It's been 5 years, I think I get it now.

[bunniesbuns]

i was watching a timelapse of mealworms when suddenly this film came back to my mind. i watched it when it first came out, and i hadn’t thought of it until just 20 minutes ago. i was able to find it through relentless searching. the fact that i came back to this 10 years later says something about how memorable your work is

[magnetdesignandadver]

Conceptually and visually a masterpiece. This remains my favourite artwork ever.

[pepsico]

This video is about how your life experiences are simply part of your mind. There is no scientific test possible to determine if anything is real at all, because we have to view the test with our consciousness.

[sydneyfowler]

Okay, so for those who are confused, I think the first one with the two woman dancing was representing the "dance" of life, the second one with the creatures bonding and then taking out or combing with others was showing evolution, then the two men who were walking and then stopped because they reached the end of their journey, was showing "from ashes to ashes, from dust to dust" and even though they never met on their journey, when they die they become one, they all do, becoming part of the bigger picture of life. Then, it reverses, showing that they are not truly "gone" but just moved on to become a part of this beautiful world. Let me know what you think and like up if you agree.

[IceclearXD]

And that, children, is how babies are born.

[blubberydew]

it's for sure one of the most intense visual experiences i've had in last few years.

[butlerkitty]

There are two ladies.
They do not know of one another.
Then they begin moving to see if someone else is there.
The mind, upset by this descision, tries to pull them back into place, not wanting them to realize there is another being behind them.
Realizing it is weak with this one strand, it sends more.
Eventually it roots the women back in place,
Keeping themselves thinking they are the only thing in the world.

[nicolewale]

This is THE most amazing thing I've ever seen ever.

[andrewhu]

@christache1 thank you @christache1! Interesting comment about HD you point out. HD is something I came to reluctantly when it came out years ago, but you're absolutely right, this truly is an HD film and its format is so crucial to the narrative. So glad you enjoyed it!

[justnvm.]

*SOLIPSIST*



0:30 Birth
1:40 Back and forth of life
2:52 Lost
4:37 Final Struggle
5:46 Purgatory
6:33 Heaven
7:53 Over Heaven

[chakadav]

Wow!. Andrew Huang may have just sparked a new art form, a combination of dance, animation and puppetry. Dancimappetry? ...mmmm, no. I don't know what to call it other than wonderful, impressive, expressive, and awesome art.  (This inspired me to make my first ever comment on You tube. I even had to create an account just to write this. )

[ixie]

Very beautiful. Still pondering on the meaning of it all but it was simply magical. I liked the little fuzzy wormy things! 

[GreedyRadish]

If I had to interpret this, I would say it seems like two people who disagree at the beginning. Their argument goes back and forth, but it takes them nowhere. Then, the second segment is those people struggling to understand each other. They communicate and find that they may agree on some things or disagree, but through this communication they find that they aren't so different, they are just headed in different directions. Then they find a mutual grounds upon which they can agree and understand each other and in the end they are better for having communicated.

That was my takeaway, at least. What I love about this style of art is the openness to interpretation. Beautiful stuff.

[kyladavis]

How did I get to this part of YouTube?