My stab at interpreting the meaning: A man hungry for answers/enlightenment goes to a church, where they promise to give him exactly what he's looking for. But despite his promises, the holy man doesn't actually have what he claimed to be able to provide, and the man is left hungry until he's old and decaying. The examples the man finds in the church along the way seem desirable at first but are ultimately unappealing, so he continues to wait for the meal he was promised. At the end of the man's life, the holy man is finally able to give him a tiny taste of what he sought. After starving for so long, the meager morsel satisfies the man and he feels at peace. However, after spending so much time in the church, by the time he leaves he is unarmed, and his euphoria alone is not enough to protect from the dangers of the world outside...which swallows him whole.
@@jcjensenllc Actually, it can! But it really depends on which religion you’re talking about. If you’re talking about Christianity I would say yes, it doesn’t deliver what it promises. But if you were talking about Eastern Religions (such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism) I would say no, they do provide what they promise. Especially Buddhism. In fact, The Buddha himself once said (and I must admit that I am paraphrasing a little bit) “do not believe what I say, always bite the coin to ensure that it is made of real gold”. Now that’s someone worth following! But I like I said before, it really depends on which religion you’re talking about. All religions have different ways of viewing the world and humanity (both as a whole as well as on the individual level). And almost all of them have a similar goal, to improve people, to make them try to be more kind and tolerant towards other people. Some do it very well (like Hinduism and Buddhism) and some do it very poorly (like Christianity). Which explains why the video mainly focuses on Christianity instead of other religions, not just because it’s one that most people in the world are familiar with. Because they know that other religions, especially those in Asia, do a much better job of enlightening people and feeding their souls than Christianity. And I can tell you that I’ve told this to a lot of people and they’ve all agreed with me. So to sum up, Christianity cannot deliver what it promises (most of the time). But other religions, especially Asian ones like Hinduism and Buddhism, can deliver what they promise. Spiritual and intellectual enlightenment. I tried them myself and I can safely say that they’ve certainly enlightened me.
@@lorcanoliver3168 This seems like an aggressive grill on Christianity; this video isn't saying "boo Christianity, other religions better" it feels more to be implying that religion and faith is only ever fed to the mind once you surrender to the fact that we know very little about our perceived existence. Religion as a whole offers a blue pill if you will, so some people are content with anything that models itself as truth so long as it merely entertains their deepest desires (freedom, peace, transcendence) it could be completely fabricated or only a small drop of the truth, but no one could verify if that's true; Deep down, no one cares if it is or not in the end.
My interpretation. The restaurant represents wealth. It's secluded location represents how rarely extraordinary wealth happens upon people. The journey across the water is a metaphor for the struggle and sacrifice and the physical toll it takes. His avoidance of anything that might distract him from his goal of success has left him at the mercy of those he thinks are there to serve him. He devolved no life skills and never took risks. He never took time to develop relationships. He withered away while waiting on the chef despite having a fat healthy fish because didn't know how to nourish himself and his lack of loving relationships left him with nobody to care for him. Looking at his hollow machine head, he realizes his own inhumanity and the shedding of his arms is the epiphany of how powerless he is to change his situation. His only recourse is to accept his fate of being eaten by the "bigger fish".
I once saw this on tv at my best friends house when we were about 7 and we couldn’t stop watching once it started. I just remember we found it super eerie and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for years and years until I decided to search for it on RU-vid and after years of looking I finally found it. Still leaves me with an unsettling feeling
@@user-qp6in7ip2tglad to learn this stuff is also broadcasted on tv. I was under the impression that this stuff is only uploaded on RU-vid. May I know what channel it was
That's Polish Art for you: it's dark and it's deep, and it will haunt you in your sleep. This short film has left me deeply disturbed, and I quite think I like it!
Urodziłam się we Włoszech i tutaj mieszkam, ale moja mama jest Polką , to co roku lecę do Polski na całe lato do Babci i Dziadka, od kiedy byłam niemowlakiem :) mam włoskie i polskie obywatelstwo :) chciałabym pójść mieszkać do Polski jak skończę uniwersytet
So much exquisite extraordinary details and in depth metaphors revolved around this character. One of my fave short animations ever, adore the background music, it adds to the story so well. ❤ ♥️ ✍🏻🎨🏆
Did anyone notice the "waiter" was wearing a Priest's collar? This was so deep. I loved that when he added the hat to the shelves, there was also the Pope's
I imagine being the pope is terrible. You fool billions of ppl everyday, and have 2 b the keeper of many lies. How they must fair after death I wonder??
Questa interpretazione vale per me, Il mare nebbioso è la dura vita, il pesce gigante il monito, Il ristorante è il purgatorio, l'uomo resiste alla tentazione di mangiare il grosso pesce nell'acquario, il ristoratore (il prete) dopo anni, porta la magra ricompensa, un piccolo pesce, alla fine si aprono le porte del paradiso. Bello.
Condivido la tua opinione, anche se farò solo un'osservazione: nel cristianesimo Gesù Cristo è anche simboleggiato come il pesce "Ichthys". Il pesce è un simbolo ricorrente nel Nuovo Testamento come lo è il pescatore: la moltiplicazione dei pani e dei pesci, la pesca miracolosa, lo statero in bocca a un pesce, il pesce alla griglia mangiato da Gesù dopo la sua risurrezione. Un legame tra Gesù e il pesce potrebbe essere stato stabilito dal bagno nel battistero (vasca per i battesimi, o "luogo da immergere") e dalla parabola dei pescatori di uomini che si riferiva agli apostoli. pesce), e il pesce divenne, insieme al pane, un simbolo dell'Eucaristia. Saluti
this strikes me as a multi tier metaphor. The sea in the beginning is all your hopes dreams and possibilities in the world but you must row (work) till your hands blister. The big fish could be seen as multiple things including, death poverty or general misfortune. Although he continued to row, until eventually arriving at seemingly salvation( perhaps retirement) as he grows tired of waiting for his release, he seems to reach some kind deep religious inner turmoil about the very thing he so desired, realizing if he cheated the easy way he was only consuming himself. Instead he patiently waits, until the near bitter end, reduced to a mere nothingness, he only ever got a small taste of what he wanted. I believe it was intentional that he walked past his boat, leaving behind what once sanctioned him on the journey of life, and he walked out on the water, only to be eaten by the fish. I find this all to be rather Ironic, striking some reflection of the circle of life, enhancing focus on the struggles of lust that we would tear our very selves apart to scratch the itch. goodnight- sweet dreams.
It's about a man's life and his religious faith. He worked hard and awaited his reward in Heaven; symbolized by the calluses and the rowing. He was greeted by the man who would fetch him his reward. He was told to wait. The man went to procure his reward. During which, the man grew tired of waiting and pondered on his religion; the fish. He killed the fish, ultimately killing a part of himself; fish died, faith lost. He contemplated on his choices and found religion revolting.
i know this comment is super old but i just watched this short for the first time. i agree with most of what you said but i think you missed that the waiter is clearly a symbol for a priest; during the eucharist (in christianity) the priest places the host (a small, circular piece of unleavened bread that either represents or has actually been transformed into the flesh of jesus, depending on the sect of christianity) on the tongue of each member of the congregation. that was the moment when it dawned on me that that particular "fish" symbol is also meant to be a symbol of jesus ("ichthys," for which this short was named). then with the man walking on water i realized the whole thing was meant to be some religious allegory, as that's a clear reference to jesus walking on water. also the large fish at the end is reminiscent of the story of jonah being swallowed by a whale/fish. a quick google will tell you that christians used the ichthys symbol as a secret sign to recognize each other, and the ichthys symbol also ties back to those paintings; actually i had gotten the feeling it might be something religious while i was watching that part bc those paintings reminded me of paintings of the 14 stations of the cross but i didn't remember anything about fish. however, apparently there is a story of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish, which is what the paintings in this short must be alluding to. so while i understand that there's a lot of religious symbolism, i don't completely understand how that intersects with the story. it seems like, as you said, the man worked hard in his life as a good christian and then it seems he waited in purgatory for an eternity and then finally with the blessing of the priest figure was allowed to progress to heaven, but then i don't get what being swallowed by a fish has to do with it. i don't completely understand the story of jonah and the fish/whale either, so i guess that hinders my understanding of this short. jonah's story seems to be about sinning and then repenting and being forgiven by god, so perhaps in this short the man sins by being angry about waiting in purgatory but then is forgiven? but why does the short end with him being swallowed by a fish, unlike jonah's story in which the fish vomits him back up? i also want to backpedal a bit and question whether the man actually does kill the fish in the tank. he seems to seriously consider killing it but then seems to shake his head at the idea of killing it and he shakes his head at the paintings of the people eating the many fish that came from the one, and we (as the audience/viewers) don't actually see him killing or eating the fish or the small fish that may have come from it. so perhaps the man is punished for not carrying out the ritual of eating the many fish, which is what seems to be the will of god/jesus? not sure, but this short is definitely interesting to say the least lol. i'm not a practicing christian but i did go to sunday school and church every now and then so i'm relying on a very small amount of knowledge about christianity. hope this video isn't so old that no one will reply to this comment lol
MAYLIA H wow, you don’t need to be so mean. i just wanted to comment some analysis about the meaning of this short because it interests me and i was hoping others could add more to my observations and inferences. honestly why did you even bother to read my comment if you didn’t want to? i wasn’t trying to make myself look smart; i even explicitly stated that i used google since i’m not an expert. i was only hoping for some polite interaction and discussion, if anything.
@@pepperspikes1849 don't worry. I gots you 😉. I loved your interpretation. Quite insightful and opened up new ways of thinking for me. And since we are on the topic of religion, I think another interesting thing to note is his arms falling off. Although I dont think he ate the fish in the tank, his arms falling off could be a form of punishment. As a scripture in the bible does say something to the effect of "when you use your arm to sin, cut your arm off, if your eyes lead you to sin, gauge them out etc", so if the man had eaten the "forbidden" fish, then his arms falling off could be explained as punishment for it. Another interesting observation is how "he came back to life" after being fed the small fish. That reminds me off when Jesus resurrected a man who had been dead for a while and was starting to rot (the cobwebs), but Jesus insisted they bring him to the man and he brought him back to life (could also reference the little girl, but she was "freshly dead"). The ending for me resonates more with how modern-day religion feels to me. Where people go to church and are fed and rejuvenated with the "flesh of Christ" (i.e the fish) then they leave church (the building) feeling a lot more holier but soon fall back into the trap of their sins. This is how I make sense of him walking on the water and being eaten by the big fish like Jonah. Like when Jesus instructed one of his disciples (I think) to walk on water toward him provided the disciple kept his eyes on Jesus. And for a moment he was able to do so, but then fear got to him, he took his eyes off Jesus then he fell into the ocean/sea.
Sunshine Matrix hey, thanks for replying! your interpretations are really cool too. i didn’t know a lot of those stories/parables/etc before. your additions make a lot of sense and definitely helped me understand the ending much more. in particular, the parts about feeling holy but then falling back into the traps of one’s own sins and walking on water without fear really resonate with my reading of this short, since i feel like throughout the story the man seems to essentially be saying “i’ve done all this for religion, so why am i being punished,” and it seems to me that he doesn’t think he deserves suffering. the man seems to be a kind of everyman character or at least an archetypal character, so i think the short is a criticism of people who practice religion for the sake of being saved, not out of pure, true belief. also maybe more broadly, possibly a statement that humanity is too short-sighted, only seeing religion as a means of salvation and/or being unable to constantly have faith and believe even in the face of other emotions/instincts/impulses (like fear).
These kind of videos in youtube has recently been on my recommendations and I dont even complaining. As a person with depression this kind of video helps me a lot.
I was on holiday in Genoa and saw this as part of an art exhibition centred around Polish artists back in 2009. It was playing quietly in a little room just off the main chambers of the gallery and I stood there enraptured by it all. I missed the title at the beginning - as it was just playing on loop - so I saw it some of the way through. I was afraid I'd never find this again, but I'm so glad that it's right here for all to see. The detail in the animation is something I appreciate more now - having studied animation myself - but the emotions in this hit harder than it did when I was in my teens. It's easy to just see this as horrifying and leave it at that, but this has a special vibe in that, despite all the macabre imagery, it never feels *nasty.* It all feels very human, visualising how we feel sometimes about ourselves and situations we find ourselves in. Even at the end, things like the man being eaten by the giant fish is funny and feels satisfying to see or the waiter collecting the hats at the end has a good natured vibe to it. Keeping the last remant of this man safe in a room alongside many others who dined there. It really has you going out on a good feeling after the strange goings-on. Aesthetically, it reminds me vaguely of the comic artist Mike Mignola (Hellboy) with the dark shadows and stylised characters. Seeing this brings back memories of a particularly pleasant holiday with an unexpected surprise. I'll saving it away somewhere special for future viewing. 😁
My take: The boat in a nordic way seems to mean the travel to death, the restaurant looks like a limbo or purgatory and the Fish is important symbolism in christianity as well, the dead man (he goes through the stages of decomposition) is waiting to get out of this place, and then eats the fish, which is Jesus, like the Catholic Idea of the eucharist and he then has his "faith" and can walk on the water, were the fish (Jesus) comes and consumes him, water symbolizes rebirth. I've done a lot of christian study it looks like thats whats going on, particularly from the priest collar and last supper like images on the wall as he walks around.
Yo entendí que los sombreros son un especie de alegoria, que insinua que por ese lugar pasaron todo tipo de personas de todas las epocas, si te fijás hay hasta cascos de romanos e inclusive hasta un gorro de cardenal ó algo asi. Para mi ese lugar es como una especie de purgatorio, el mozo es un sacerdote, y el "Ichthys" que es un dibujo con forma de pez (que esta en la carta de menu) es un simbolo que representa a Jesucristo. Saludos
I found this particularly interesting because I'm now taking Greek in college and our professor explained the whole origin of the relationship between "fish" (Ichthys) and Christianity
Ichthys means "fishmen" and that how Jesus was called (The Fishman of Humans' Souls). Ichtys, Ichtios mean "fish" (the main symbol of the first Christians and Christianity) and it's an anagram: Isos Christos Theu Chios Sonte whats mean: Jesus Christ the Son of the God
Ummm... I'm not sure if I understood You properly... I'm just an art historian and that kind of knowledge is necessary to interpret medieval and Byzantinian art =)
"Basic Christianity" that only those who truly study knows about so it's not at all basic. -.- Not every Christian knows those stuff. And btw, art is beautiful and quite meticulous to study. ♡
Fish represents his dream and he is investing all his time just to reach it, and he got disaapointed when he realize that someone was consuming it while he is struggling for it
exelente, simplemente asi, la calidad de los videos son... me encanta ya que muy pocos tienen idioma, asi que tanto un español como un ingles pueden verlo
Fish symbolizes Jesus Christ,,,in Greek word Ichthys Moral of the Story,,,,,"Patience and sacrifice is the best way to follow or leads you to a better place like heaven with Jesus Christ.
Uhm.. the way I see it; waiting with patience and sacrifice is useless if it's for nothing (or a really really small fish). He did get that awesome ability of walking on water like that fiction story with jesus, that would be worth something tho
@@MiddyBlue65 I saw this in TV backtimes i was 6,7 years old.. and this bite at the table and the scream gave me long time ago bad dreams as a little boy🙄 and years later i remember this Clip soo hard.. and with 20 i find this on RU-vid and think: Ah yeah that WAS THAT SHIT!!😅
@@Ereidos ... Yes, I understood you perfectly. It will always amaze me how childhood traumas can still effect you as an adult. That's crazy to me. Certain things you will never forget and always remember. Sorry it still effects you.. 🌺
The question of what happens ate at him; rotting. He went mad. A hole of unknowing cut himself in half as he came closer to death. He screamed in horror, the foundations of his mind shook, and eventually gave up. His faith that he gave up so long ago came and rewarded him with his fish. His faith renewed, he left his possessions behind; symbolizing ascendance. And walked toward the sunset and into Heaven; eaten by the fish, a symbol of Christianity. His hat added to the collection of followers.
For me the Perseverance & Patient represents in this story. If you're determined & willing to wait, good Fortune are waiting. Hence, we all know that as long as we live in this world, there are lot of challenges in our life & battles to win to enable to survive.
Jajajaja, acabo de ver un comentario de un gringo analizando el vídeo profundamente bien serio el vato y después leo esto jajajajaja buena esa, y parece chiste pero es anecdota, x17383971
Is this a metaphor for the inner turmoil that exists whilst you suffer through the agonizing ordeal of waiting from the time when you place an order until the point at which your food has finally arrived? If so, exquisite piece of film. I most certainly can relate. It is a terrible experience enduring through the pain of your stomach screaming out at you for sustenance. The torment of others stuffing their face holes all around you is neigh unbearable. The mind occasionally retires itself amongst the delusions of thrusting your fork into the nearest morsels of flesh within reach, even if it be human. Nothing can sufficiently satiate that desire to replenish your chow pouch with nourishment. Whereupon the time when that bountiful feast disembarks the kitchen is comparable to nothing less than the trumpets of the heavens themselves crying out to you. The perilous journey it must maneuver through along the voyage to your table is abound with hazards, however, upon the graces of the immortal culinary deities, your feast shall arrive unassailed. At this moment, this very juncture in time, you rest heartily with the knowledge that the torment embroiling withing your stomach shall promptly abide.
Can you please explain again in easier English? I'm not native and it will take me probably some time to look for the words in the dictionary. May it be in a reply and please mention me so I review it.
Not seeing any comments. My interpretation is that of a Snob out for a meal. Ordering a RARE species that we are already consuming at alarming rates. Like Shrimp that used to be large, but now tiny due to overfishing. It takes interminably long to get what they ordered. And? He appropriately dies of his gluttony. I for one, love the animation! Thumbs Up for sure.
One of the most stunning & beautiful animated films I’ve seen in quite a while; heard about it by way of the animated (2007) version of Peter & The Wolf, I’ve owned the dvd for years but just realized that Z. Zmudzki was the co-producer. If anyone hasn’t seen this gem make sure you do, it’s one of the finest interpretations I’ve even seen & took 5 years to make. The opening scene in Ichthys with the man boating & the giant fish has to be a nod to the Japanese master Koji Yamamura; exquisite & sets such a mood. The neo~baroque music too adds so much to the dramaturgy, with the viola da gamba almost becoming something of a narrator. **Doubt you will see this but if so BRAVO Mr. Zmudzki, this short is profound & full of such rich invention - this deserves to be within the canon of top tier animated works & known to all lovers of art & proper animated film.
Maravilloso video, esplendida alegoría de la búsqueda y encuentro con Cristo (Dios), sobre todo en estos momentos difíciles. Yo invito, antes de criticar, a profundizar en el significado de la palabra Ichthys En esencia es la Oración de Jesús: Señor Jesucristo, Hijo de Dios, ten piedad de mí Que Dios nos bendiga a Todos Por favor sin prejuicios
Не надо не кого ждать , даже если это стоит этого, лучше не фанатеть от мечты. Но даже если почти достиг умирать ради нее точно не стоит . Жизнь прекрасна, и много разного нам предоставляет@#$
Скажите пожалуйста в чём мораль: 1) у человека слезает кожа 2) у этого же человека припадок 3) его съедает рыба 4) человек весь в паутине ОБЪЯСНИТЕ ПОЖАЛУЙСТА!
A man sails in life looking for faith in a cruel world full of agony and fear. He was told where to find it. There, he meets Fate and tells him what he Wants, but Fate does not give faith to people unless they get tested by patience, in which we can do bad things and see terrible nightmares. Whether we stay calm or scream, Fate acts only in an hour of his choice. After the man lost all his patience and hope, he gets what he came looking for. He becomes a true believer and knows Christ represented in the fish he ate, and sees God for the lord God is sun, then death comes and takes his soul.
Su significado es que como la educación y la comida tu dependes de los Iluminati si no hay nada en los anaqueles, mercados te mueres de hambre si tú cosecharás estarás como el que pesca con comida y vivirás de ti mismo no te importa lo que ocurra en el mundo. imagínate en la cuarentena que no allá comida !! viviriamos en la misma agonía del viejo queriendo robar por comer y cuando se acomode esto y vuelva todo a la normalidad y te den el pecesito en la boca así cambien cosas importante quitan otras cosas que es la voluntad de hacer las cosas por ti mismo la cuestión es que tú no sabes si eres feliz con solo salir de tu casa ahora y no sabemos cuántas cosas cambiaron pero uno feliz de lo normal por qué el ser humano es como el viejo que para el es más fácil devolverse a su casa sin manos para remar en ese mar ancho que ir tan lejos con tus manos bien a ti te alimenten que tú cultivar y vivir de ti mismo todos estamos en una trampa
Ow... My ears are bleeding from the screaming.... Warning for loud and Screaming noise at the end also warning don't wear any headphones or ear buds it'll make your ears bleed!!
