Film Analysis: Jack Stauber's OPAL
A thorough look into a film about using escapism to deal with existential dread
Jack Stauber’s “OPAL” is a psychological horror claymation short musical film about a young girl named Claire who lives on the outskirts with her blind grandfather, who smokes like a chimney, her narcissistic father, and her substance-abusing mother.
The film begins with Claire, who has assumed the identity of ‘Opal,’ being sung to and praised by her ‘family.’ They warn her to stay away from the house across the street, but her curiosity gets the best of her. She sneaks out that night to explore the house since she feels drawn towards it. When she enters the house, she’s greeted by an old man watching television who keeps referring to her as Claire and insists that she stop hiding his cigarettes. He expresses his annoyance with the pestering salesmen that plague his screen and how people seem to be able to breathe easier on television. He begins to question Claire's identity because she smells different and isn’t talking. He tries to chase her, but she quickly runs up the stairs.
She then encounters her father, who obsesses over his appearance because an unidentified “they” rejected him, and hence he’s made it his life’s mission to look perfect. Shortly after this explanation, Claire notices that her grandfather is approaching, so she flees the scene. She finds her inebriated mother in a messy room. She explains how she and Claire are different from everyone else because they merely “survive.” She expresses her longing for a daughter who takes care of her. Clare’s mother grabs Claire’s leg, which causes Claire to bolt towards the attic. It is here that she realizes that she isn’t ‘Opal’ and that the people in this house are her real family; she only imagined the other one because they are on a billboard across the street for a restaurant called “Opal’s Burgers.” The film ends with her locking herself in the attic, retreating back to her imaginary family in her head, while her irate, real family members try to claw their way into the attic.
The film has such an inspired approach to discussing existential dread, particularly the detrimental escapist methods people use to cope with it. It starts by showcasing all their vices as they are and then juxtaposing them with fantastical visuals to represent the family’s skewed positive perception of them. This sets up the story’s themes and foreshadows the plot twist.
Every character in “OPAL” just wants to feel seen and/or appreciated in some way. For example, the grandfather finds comfort in the endless competition for his attention by the salesmen on television. He yearns for the ease of breathing that he hears on television instead of quitting smoking, since he’d rather immerse himself in a different reality than address his issues head-on. Claire’s father spends his days tending to his appearance in hopes of being noticed and accepted. He dishes out backhanded comments because he isn’t so concerned with how he makes other people feel, as opposed to how he’s perceived on a superficial level. Claire’s mother uses substances to distort her reality to avoid seeing it for how it is, similar to how Claire uses the billboard as a perfectionist replication of her real family. She sees herself in Claire and hence leans on her for support since she doesn’t feel like she has anyone else.
My absolute favorite moment in the film is near the end, where Claire realizes the direness of her inescapable reality and lets out a guttural scream. It is a harrowing moment of clarity where Claire is forced to see her life for what it really is. However, she shortly goes back to her fantasy world since it has been subconsciously ingrained in her that joy and contentment can’t be found in her own life but rather from outside sources. This whole film is Claire’s adamant journey to “the window” into her thoughts to confront her fears, emotions, and troubles directly (as seen by the window being reflected in her eyes throughout the film). She’s trying to break the supposedly “virtuous cycle” her family created. The end of the film is harrowing because it is left ambiguous, which means the audience will never know if she was ultimately successful in her journey. This film's unique style and thought-provoking symbolism come together to create a truly haunting and captivating masterpiece.