The COMPLEX Beauty Of The ABSURD
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- A love letter to the genre of the absurd.
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Sorry for the wonk editing at the start. The CZcams copyright system was not kind to this video and I had to re-edit it over a dozen times. Yay!
While I think that terry pratchett and hitchiker exist within the realm of existentialism and absurdity. But no one performs Absurdism as laconic and pure as the cohen brothers - the series fargo actually is paying hommage to albert camus "The Mythos of Sysiphos" - it made me appreciate the Cohen brothers much more.
Imho Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams infuse the absurd situations with humour and humanity, which softens the blow - most of all the characters actions dont end in futility.
The director Jim Jarmusch is also associated with absurdism (The Dead Don't Die).
There can be also Dark Sides to absurdism when you think about David Lynch movies, or stories by Franz Kafka. I think dependant on the recipients character mileage may vary - I'd advise people with fragile mental conditions to postpone watching "Eraserhead", although they might recognize bits of themselves in "Metamorphosis"
As mentioned above Albert Camus tackled the Absurdism in literary fashion, while his philosopher colleague Jean-Paul Sartre did similiarly they had a dispute and unfriended.
As for theatre Samuel Beckett's - waiting for Godot is peak absurdism
Other writers that I at least flipped through or are referenced in the works above would be Haruki Murakami (Kafka at the shore, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage) and Fyodor Dostojewsky ( The Idiot; The Gambler)
I'm kind of curious, where do you thoughts fall with the absurdism of Monty Python's films and shows? I personally find it to be some of my favorites. But I would like to hear your opinion and I'm ready for whatever critic you have.
Editing at the begining was kinda interesting cuz it was unexpected (different than usual) so it held my attention
You could say the editing was... Absurd.
Don't bother, it was an awesome video.
Thanks for your efforts!
Absurdism is one of the few genres that still hasn't been done a million times. There's a bunch of room left for new voices. Everything Everywhere All At Once literally made me laugh and cry.
Same, so frickin awesome and that entire erm..... jump.... powerup scene was hilarious.
I do fear that Everything Everywhere will bring a wave of absurdist comedies that try to do the same and fail by missing all the nuance, originality and heart this movie has. Like joy division spawning a bunch post-punk bands that don't do anything that different decades later.
Ok I may be gate-keep-ish or snobby here idk
@@sinkdemon5813 That's just inevitable when you get something good.
@@ameliedavis5940 that's fucked
Discworld is a strange one, because while I do agree it is absolutely absurdism, at the same time Pratchett isn't making up anything in the same way the Everything Everywhere All At One or Hitchhikers writers are. Pratchett (and Taika Waititi, come to think of it) just show a mirror to the world and say, 'see! You see how weird we are? WE are absurd!" His absurdism comes from the real batshit crazy - yet absolutely normal - goings on in the real world. A world on the back of 4 elephants on the back of a turtle? Thats so many world myths. A seamstress guild? Just look up Chicago history. Pratchett has said, 'I didn't make anything up; I just did good research." Even his character names are based on reality, In the Art of Discworld book, he said it took him less than 5 minutes to find a 'Weatherwax' in the phonebook.
So while I absolutely do think Discworld is absurdism; it's its own brand of absurdism that sheds light on the true absurdism of the world we live in. It's a near perfect definition of the phrase: "the truth is stranger than fiction." I think thats what makes his books so incredible.
Satirical Absurdism?
The absurdity of Discworld seems like a tool for Pratchett to up his satire and parody game. As well as a vessel for his rapier wit.
EDIT: I think Robin Hood: Men In Tights is another example of absurdism for parody.
I would argue to you that Hitchhiker's is also just a giant mirror, all bit in a different way. It's our world, our politics, our gender norms, our religious quirks, our innermost psychology, just dressed as aliens and stretched over the galaxy
Discworld taught me the joy of reading (in my late twenties) and ultimately led me to this channel. And you led me to the BobVerse. Thank you!
Yes, your audience noticed the reflection of absurdism in the shirt you chose for this vid. 👍
What was so absurd about a gun-wielding kittycat riding a deathray-glaring unicorn amongst a field of rainbows?
Albert Camus hit gold when he first mentioned absurdism, proposed the entire school and took it away from the pessimistic existentialists, took a view far away from doom and gloom people like Sartre, Kierkegaard. Camus's work shows the influence in most fantasies written since the Stranger was released. Would absolutely recommend reading Camus for getting to what the core of absurdism is
As someone who prescribes to Absurdism and has studied Theater of the Absurd separately I hadn't considered the relation. I'm not sure if it's fair to say people need to go read Camus to understand the Theater but I'm certainly interested now in rereading Camus (it's been a while) and Godot.
Also, THANK YOU god Kierkegaard is a pain. I know he's one of the founders and his philosophy reflects his time period but lord is his Leap of Faith so random in the space of what a boundary break is
@@brycechapman3966 oh yeah, my bad, i didn't mean to say you have to read Camus to get into absurdism, that's an extremely dumb thing to say. I meant if you want to delve deeper into absurdism and the philosophy as a whole, i would recommend taking a look at Camus because he is just interesting to read.
And YES! Kierkegaard, i respect him for his works and his ideas, but my goodness i can't get into them no matter how much i tried. Hell Sartre is the same for me in that aspect, too much doom and gloom, fuckin Nietzsche is more readable for me in some instances.
Reading Camus as a late teen/ young adult helped me through a lot of things, it really is a great recommendation for many reasons!
This is a top 10 movie of all time for me.
Everything Everywhere all at Once was: beautiful, well edited, amazingly acted, wonderfully directed/written
I found it really interesting that a lot of ADHD/neurodivergent people (myself included) really identified with EEAAO since our brains process the world a bit like that anyways. Really highlights that we all live in an absurdist reality, just as our fiction can be
Like one of the directors, EEAAO made me realize that I had ADHD. Because I watched the character flit between different universes and moments on a dime and thought “this is how my mind works. Someone put it on screen.”
This isn't even close to your most popular video, but it is now by far my favorite! Everything everywhere all at once is probably my favorite movie at this point, and this video perfectly summarizes the complexity of why the movie is so wonderful.
I loved this movie so much ! Saw it twice at the cinemas and cried both times
Me too!!
The absurd in music, art, and fiction has helped me find a great deal of beauty and purpose in life, so it's really great to see a video that fully realizes and embraces this seeming contradiction. Thanks Daniel.
I LOVE Scott Pilgrim and Everything Everywhere, and my favorite comedy is Top Secret. I love the absurdity.
If you like Top Secret, you might like Big Trouble in Little China
One thing not mentioned is there was a big wave of absurdist drama following WWII (ex. Waiting for Godot)-absurdism is often a response to tragedy, which could make it a very appropriate genre for our times.
I just recently read Kings of the Wyld and remembered exactly how much I do love the absurdism take and how it can still effect characters realistically. This video came out at a perfect time for me. Was just considering starting Discworld soon.
For anyone looking for more recommendations along this line, I would highly recommend the works of Kurt Vonnegut. I would also say you should give plays like "Waiting for Godot" or "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" a shot.
Also If anyone is looking for a short non-fiction read that touches on these themes the Essay "The Myth of Sisyphus"
2:17 NOW I get the absurd part: There's two Daniels!
There's a Sci Fi movie called Mr. Nobody that I think you'd really like. It's about a boy who's born knowing all the outcomes of every decision he'll make, and having to decide which path of life and love will lead to the best experience. It also has him living through the other timelines as well, so as to show the audience the paths unchosen.
Is that what it was? I thought he had decided not to make any choice and therefore lived all of them.
@@drewtheunspoken3988 I can't speak on that much, without spoiling things for those who've yet to see it. But, you may be right. Either way, I loved the concept and I think Daniel will, too.
@@ziloe Agreed. And the fact that we both have different interpretations is a selling point as well.
Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, who plays her husband, did an amazing job in this movie. I don't think I'd ever seen him as an adult in any movie, but I was really happy to see he remains as charismatic and funny as he was in Temple of Doom and The Goonies when he was a kid. I don't think the movie would've worked as well as it did if either of their characters had been played by somebody else.
I normally don't go for the absurd, but Scott Pilgrim's absurdity has always stuck out to me. It's a movie that is very silly but real, weird but normal, out there and down to Earth. It's the kind of movie where the main characters react realistically to wacky stuff and I am always there for it
Everything Everywhere All At Once is so beautiful. One of the best movies I've ever seen!
Discworld fascinates me for many reasons. I find it hilarious, touching, imaginative, profound and all of that. But the thing that I find the most intriguing is the shift in worldview and perspective I experience when I'm reading it. Started reading it when I was feeling negative about the people and the world in general. I never imagined a book set in a flat-earth AU would help me rediscover some fondness for the world and be accepting of the dual nature of mankind.
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once was the first A24 film I've watched that I actually enjoyed, and it was more than just enjoyment. The movie was an instant classic, and I can't wait to watch it on again and again over the coming years.
I love how much Daniel's shirt matches what he's talking about. It's such a crazy yet cool shirt that matches the topic.
"I promise, you'll take something different away from it than I did."
Powerful closing statement. As an enormous Scott Pilgrim and HGttG fan, guess you've now sold me on my need to watch this movie and also read Discworld. Thanks, I guess.
Another amazing absurdist story that just came out is My Volcano by John Elizabeth Stintzi.
You're literally reading a kaleidoscope of human emotions and lives taking shape and warping in different ways while the world is affected by very odd events that follow their own thread of logic. There's time travel, parallel worlds, a volcano growing in central park and everything about how people and the media would react to strange things in a blazé way.
I can't recommend it enough to those who are even just mildly curious. I was vaguely interested and decided to take it out from the library and I'm still thinking about it. Don't go in expecting some grand ending though, its all about the journey.
This connected with me in a way I was not mentally prepared for. Great video!
Growing up, from an early age on, I was reading Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and later on Camus. Nowadays reading Hitchhiker' s guide seems almost like reading a documentary. Because I have met a Zaphood Beeblebrox. Beaurocrats ARE vogons.
10:01 That desktop icon shenaniganery is deeply troubling and I choose to believe that is just a sneaky background prop :0
Everytime I'm near an existantial crisis panic attack, I think about "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and I fell better. I also have a lot of anxiety toward Death (I think it comes with existantial crisis), and you finally convinced me to read Discworld. Thank you!
"Don't Panic" has legitimately gotten me through so much, which sounds trite but when I think about earth getting blown up for an alien highway bypass my problems don't seem as bad as they could be. God what a book.
I can see a novelization of Everywhere and Anywhere at Once winning a Hugo or PKD award
extremely well done, this is a genre i've been slowly (and inevitably, i now realize) been going towards, all along, when trying to actualize the story i want to tell as a framework for trying to explore the deep nuances of being a person with a disability. especially one that does not act in the way most of society expects from me. plus, there's the mental milieu of all this.
Wow... I have to see this movie now. You basically just talked about all of my favorite movies and books in this video.
After crying for the last 10 minutes, I had fun watching people exiting the theater with confused or incredulous faces. I LOVED it! Definitely in my Top 20 movies of all time! 🥰
Absurdism done right is my favorite kind of story telling. Using unrealistic and wild mediums to tell deeply real stories and teach deeply real lessons are unfathomably powerful. On the animated side you have Phineas and Ferb, Bojack Horseman, Adventure Time, Page Master, and so much more. In film you have Scot Pilgrim, Hitchhikers Guide, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, even the bill and Ted movies, and again so much more. In writing you have more than can be remembered. And in every medium you have retellings of the classic Absurdism stories like Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, even treasure island. However so many people love these stories and don't recognize them as Absurdism, or even know what that is, and I think that's a good thing. Giving it that title and expecting it to be such ultimately hinders the absolute beauty of it. It doesn't keep it from being amazing, but that anonymity is PART of the medium. Going in blind and receiving an overwhelming, beautiful mind fuck of an experience.
Incredible video, Daniel. This video really hit home and it's amazing how much passion you've injected into it. I too recently come out and it's amazing how your brain overhypes the idea of being different.
The concept of the void inside of us all and the feeling that nothing matters because of the death we all have to face is terrible feelings but i think that life wouldnt be worth living if we never died and imagine how bored you would be after have lived 1000 years and done everything you ever wanted to do. If you compare death to immortality (a never ending life with neverending boredom) i think death is actually something of a blessing. I dont know if this really makes any sense but i really appreciate videos like this taking up topics about dark things like death anxiety is very good. Thanks Daniel
im so glad when you make videos like this, thank you
So I’d never really thought about it this way before, but I guess I love absurdism because I love all the things you mentioned. Guess I need to watch EEAAO
Thank you for this video Daniel!
hell yeah I love absurdism. Hitchhikers Guide and Catch-22 are my personal favorites
I know its a dying genre but I would kill for a novelization of Everywhere and Anywhere at Once
I’ve been confused why everyone is only now talking about this film and saying it’s now in theatres. I work at a theatre in the US and the movie started playing in late March, and stopped sometime in April. I’m not sure why everywhere else it seems to only now be in theatres.
Thanks Danny, I've not been able to articulate this preference until now, but I find so much beauty (and humor) in this absurdist genre - even music like Cake I find enriching in the imagery and creative wordplay they implement.
Thanks for all you do!
My favorite absurdist book of all time has to be the master and margarita.
It’s old, it’s Russian, And I still don’t understand it. But you’re not supposed to. It was my introduction to absurdism, it moved me, and it made me cry for reasons I still don’t understand. So incredibly human and I really do recommend it.
This is a magnificent video. Thank you Daniel
Beautiful video Daniel. I agree that the absurd is such an amazing tool to delve into complex topics and realities of our universe. Definitely have to get into disc world!
Love the Boblin stand in to illustrate the point.
Daniel made me start Discworld! Just started Mort and never thought that Death would be the coolest character ever!
Loved this video and I think it's one of your best. Your passion for absurdism really showed! I need to start Discworld...
One thing about absurdism is that its realy hard to pitch it to someone, because the things Daniel touches on, are hard to convey because its buried underneath pretty weird stuff
My introduction into absurdism was the fiction podcast Welcome To Night Vale. It’s still one of the most beautiful and comforting things I’ve ever listened to.
This is one of your best pieces of content. 10/10. Thank you!
What a incredible video Daniel, mad props!
absalutly LOVED this video. ive read the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and loved it but I never though of it like this, I just love this perspective.
also I found hello future me's video "in defense of soft magic systems" (which I'm sure you watched cuz I saw ur channel in the end when he talked about the live stream) tackle some of the same ideas you mention and I loved that video as well. thnx so much for showing me a different way of thinking about this topic and I think I gotta watch everything everywhere all at once now
I just found your channel recently, by total accident. Some of your WoT content was in my recommendations, so I consumed all of that. But hadn't really had the chance to fully explore your other content yet, beyond just seeing your playlist titles. Now I have to go hunting for all your Discworld content. The turtle moves ❤
Great video as always, but the most important question is still left unanswered: is that Pips riding the fire-breathing unicorn on your shirt, and if so, why?
I liked the pacing of this video, how you slide from one example to the next,
Good video
After watching your video about Discworld, I decided to pick up Small Gods. A year later, I'm 15 books in and don't plan to stop until I read all of them. Definitely my favourite series. I hope you make more videos about it.
Happy you are taking risks and covering more nuanced stories. Hoping this can help push the video further.
Have been with you for years. This is your BEST video to date.
I've read and reread Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and as I grow older, with each reread, parts of the onion (or he would say cabbage) fall away to reveal deeper meanings and insights into the absurd.
Good job, Daniel!! Good job. STP would be proud of you.
Absurdism is one of my favorite genres in books and films, as well as art styles. So glad you put it in the spotlight!
This now REALLY makes me want to read Discworld. Not like my TBR isn't long enough
200% agree! This neverending fight against the nihilistic void within the human condition was captured so extremely beautifully by the Daniels! The fights and stunts were awesome to behold, but in the end it was a MOTHER doing *SPOILER* and thereby doing *SPOILER* which ultimately pressed me into my cinema seat and forced me to keep sitting and thinking throughout the end credits...! This movie has been the most astonishing and profound cinema experience for the last five (if not more) years!
If someone has a real focus and genuinely unique point of view, total and unapologetic absurdity can take us beyond the beyond. For what is -- for my money -- the very best, and most profound, and also the funniest absurdism I've ever seen, read anything and everything by writer Steve Aylett, especially Slaughtermatic, Shamanspace, the Accomplice series, Lint, and most recently, Hyperthick. If you like anything explored in this video, odds are you will love Aylett's amazing, densely brilliant, truly astonishing work.
Very well put, Daniel. Very well put. I think I appreciate Terry Pratchett's work a lot more now. Thank you!
"spirited away" is also a good example of this
absolutely loved EEAAO, don’t know how it made me laugh so much but still made me cry 😭
I've not had a great relationship with absurdist stories, but believe Everything Everywhere All at Once is a masterpiece. I'm gonna try to reconnect with Terry Pratchett's work again, see if I can engage with it better than last time. I haven't read the death books, should I start there?
Yes, ye gods, yes. Avoid The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, they're not the best books in the series. Maybe leave them until later when you might want to read them.
@@ConsoleHandheldGamerI've always heard that you shouldn't start with the first two books in Terry Pratchett's masterpiece and I've always disagreed. Start with those two with the caveat that the series gets so much better after you're done. Equal Rites, the third book in the series, absolutely kills it and the ride just doesn't slow down until the end.
Great video!
I've never really heard about the absurdist genre as a genre before... which is kinda ironic, because Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Scott Pilgrim, Going Postal, Wee Free Men, and Everything Everywhere All at Once are all stories that I absolutely love! It's a really interesting technique for sure. I now understand so much better why I like so many random stories like Good Omens...
Good Omens is a fantastic use of Absurdism. I need to read the book and rewatch the show, but it does point out the absurdity of religion.
@@varenoftatooine2393 Yeah, it's one of my favorite books and an excellent example of a genuinely good tv show adaptation. And I personally find that the absurdism does a really good job communicating coming of age and realizing that issues like climate change and extinction happen. Adam's whole character arc with that (and of course Crowley) are my favorite things about it.
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams is another great example of absurdism in storytelling, as are The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, A Clockwork Orange, Miguel Llansó's Crumbs, and almost anything by Alejandro Jodorowsky.
I think the other big example of absurdism you can point people to and say "Surely you can see the power in this!" is Slaughterhouse Five by Vonnegut.
Doom Patrol is my favorite absurdist television series. I love how this new movie captured it's magic in many ways.
Hitchhiker's Guid to the Galaxy was arguement against Philip Jose Farmer's book "Venus on the halfshell" . Venus on the Halfshell is about the Earth being destroyed by a bureaucratic galactic government. The sole surviving human goes on quest to find out what happened, and what is the meaning of like life. Hitchhikers wasn't plagerism, but responce to Venus on the Halfshell.
I saw EEAAO just the other day. It was incredible. Personally, I was impressed by the amount of reuse (or whatever it's called). Basically every single element of the movie appears more than once. From the way the IRS lady circles the receipt, to the fingers, to the Indian drama, and so on and so on.
Also, it has been a long time since I laughed as much as I did during that one fight. You know which one. Yes, I'm a man of simple humor.
The goblin statue needs a spin-off show!
Just watched it with my friend a day ago. I agree it is definitely a masterpiece on its own class. After watching I kept recommending it to my other friends and family. Every part of it was so good.
I mean, your channel is a good introduction to absurdism, i see what u have been doing there!
Every single film and book you mentioned I adore so much, I was unable to express what i liked so much about them all. I didn't even realize they were all linked through absurdism. Thankyou Goblin Man
This might be my favorite video on this channel
I have a feeling that with Gold Roger laughing at Laughtale OP could be one of the great successes of absurdist fiction worldwide
Only just started reading discworld with is my first real look at absurdism. Started with guards guards. The image of the librarian trying to talk to carrot via charades was good.
I just watched this movie yesterday. I did with the intention of having some fun with a comedic scifi movie but when the message of the story hits you, it was really emotional.
Shirt game on point yet again 👌
hitchikers guide to the galaxy, scott pilgrim and everything everywhere all at once are all great i always wished we had more top tier absurdist stories, i mean besides real life which is possibly one of the MOST absurd things that could possibly be experienced especially when you stare at that void above your head
I loved this movie and it had several parts that kept me thinking about what's next. I'm still confused about the end but even though I don't fully understand it still makes it so amazing. By the way, my dad always tells me to read Discworld I usually moved away from it because of the cover art but I think I'll give it a try. Love your videos hope you have a great week.
I love absurdism... can't wait for this movie to actually open and show here at the end of june!
Felt like the realest love letter to Camus I've seen.
I am definitely looking forward to watching EEAAO, and Hitchhikers and Pratchett are faves. One newer absurdist story I loved recently was Space Opera by Valente. I think you'll like it!
EEA@O was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I absolutely loved it.
I honestly think that absurdism is one of the best if not the best genre in which to explore and dive deep into emotions and themes.
I really liked the way you put it "a genre that rejects the idea that just because nothing matters nothing matters" which is a statement that is true for a lot of what absurdism has to offer.
It is also a genre that gets to focus on people in our society that most people don't think about and really lets us understand their minds and challenges they have to face.
Definitely recommend absurdism to anyone that would like to read or write about themes or emotions in a new way that stays with you and makes you think.
This movie is the first movie in a long time that made me laugh hard enough to get tears in my eyes
Absurdism. I dont know if Mushishi is absurdism. But its weird as hell in a calming manner.
I recommend you watch it than read it because theres a sense of wonder and calmness accompanied with music when watching it.
Love that shirt
To explain how much Terry Pratchett means to me is no matter what the media CZcams/tv/books I can’t help but cry when anyone talks about him. I didn’t know I could or would miss someone I have never met. I can’t even type this without tearing up
I love this essay
Are you going to review Everything Everywhere? Because I would love to hear more of your thoughts on it.
Buffy and Angel both brought in elements of Absurdism (as a response to and / or acceptance of Nihilism) influenced mostly by Albert Camus.
"If nothing we do matters, then the only thing that matters is what we do."
Oh, and Pratchett's Death is fantastic, but it's my second-favorite depiction of a personified Death. Neil Gaiman's Death of the Endless is a character that effected me enormously and gave myself and many other people comfort.
Watched the first few mintues of this, then decided against it since I hadn't watched the film yet. I watched it two days ago and came back to this. And god, what a film. Saying it's my favorite movie of the year holds less weight than it should because I'm not a movie person, but I think that even if I did watch 20 other movies this year this one would still be my favorite.
A unique strength of absurdism is that it can often feel very real *because* of its strangeness, not despite it, because real life often does not make sense. At least not in a way we can understand. It takes the saying "reality is often stranger than fiction" and does everything it can to disprove it. Most of us don't understand why every thing that happens to us in our life is happening, taking that feeling and enlarging it can make for some really poignant storytelling, while also being hilarious. It takes a really good storyteller to do absurdism well, but when it's done well by god is it done well.
Steve Martin has been known to use absurdism in some of his films as well. L.A. Story remains a favorite.
I have not yet dove into the Discworld books but it's definitely on my list. I've always been curious how much of Good Omens in Pratchett vs. Gaiman..