Perseid | Calarts Short Film

Perseid: (noun) a shower of meteors radiating from a point in the constellation Perseus... 🌠🌠🌠
Three friends, a shooting star, and the encroaching melancholy of loneliness
My BFA3 film at Calarts
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My socials:
Portfolio - xkbalashov.weebly.com
Instagram: zz1nk
Email: [e-mail]
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CREDITS:
Guest animation by Lewis Tarver!!
Voices:
Silas - Sam Sutton
Mira - Alexandra Tejada
Parker - Kanoa Ichiyanagi
Perseid - Sam Sutton, Mu'izza Nur Rahman, Mate Satalich, Emy Galustyan, X. K. Balashov
Score - Dorsey Crocker
Sound Design - Alex Fortunato
Dialogue Recording Engineer - Aria Dines
Dialogue Recording Assistant - Anant Shah
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The lines the Perseid speaks are from Metamorphosis by Ovid (trans. Stanley Lombardo). Lines 4.884-4.888.
Bonus points if you recognize the place the film is set :-)
Watch other films made by my classmates: • 2024 CalArts Character...

[@Pandurra]

🦐🦐🦐🦐🦐🦐💥

[@user-ee5oz2il1r]

Nobody has replied to this because nobody knows how to reply.

[@helenaborgespeixoto7598]

I am second reply, yippee!!

[@Evie_3vi3]

Third reply!! Seriously tho, what does this comment mean

[@Leopauld123]

???

[@BrainnRott]

me too

[@dogzilla3205]

It’s a little saddening to see so many calling Silas whiny, and similar things, though I can understand where they are coming from. I can very well relate to the loneliness this film gives off. He attempts to talk and share his passion, but is continuously interrupted or ignored. He’s with them, yes, but it’s like they aren’t really hearing him, or they just don’t care (at least, from his perspective). Finally, when it feels like he’s really caught the attention of one of his friends, she’s pulled away like it’s nothing. It’s not about how he “can’t just wait until after”, it’s a continuous build up of this barrier of misunderstanding and unintended rejection that makes him feel detached despite everything. Maybe if she had said “lets go to the piano and you can tell me all about it after” he would’ve felt more comforted. I really relate to this, especially how even after his wish seems to have come true, there still seems to be this emptiness that permeates. Lovely little animation! Edit: I want to note, my interpretation of the ending is not the best. Had a very short timespan to write my thoughts out, so make sure to consider other perspectives!

[@juliaczapla6880]

well the piano was free, and was an opoortunity at the moment. you can make an argument that he does not want to pay attention to them either. he does not want to hear the piano. he does not want to hear his friends, just talk. And they still make time for him at the end to hear him out. i like the interpretation of the other user that after the wish nothing changed, he just openee his eyes to the fact that his friends do care. i felt isolated like that among friends and just as with this animation, i can say it was mostly self induced. the people who feel that others dont care enough about them often dont care enough about others.

[@plastictouch6796]

100%

[@plastictouch6796]

​@@juliaczapla6880it's definitely not self induced. It's usually induced by trauma that someone in the past inflicted. Usually a parent, which gives you insecure attachment to people and makes you feel inadequate. It definitely has nothing to do with not caring about others. You are way off there. It's about feeling bad about yourself and searching for that confirmation bias to confirm the already held belief about yourself.

[@ghostcrackers]

@@juliaczapla6880 this. Depression is an understandable obstacle but it doesn't change that he is also being inconsiderate

[@dogzilla3205]

@@juliaczapla6880 I do like that interpretation you mentioned, better fitting than what I wrote really. I wrote this whole thing out on a break so I didn’t have much time to go back and reanalyze. I want to make it clear, I don’t think they need to or should sacrifice piano time for him, rather I wanted to explain the perspective of his mindset. I’ve been in his place before, and still I find myself clawing my way out of that mindset occasionally. Thank you for the thoughtful reply!

[@leucamaclean8900]

Commenting for that engagement cause this deserves it. “For when medusa looked upon her statues and cried, they said nothing. And so she thought the world full of stone hearts and cold eyes”

[@ANIMAL.LOVERS.DONT.EAT.ANIMALS]

as someone with bpd i really relate to this.

[@aro-xv9eg]

Jesus Christ. Medusa feels more relatable than ever.

[@yourlocalpossum4744]

I felt that in so many ways. The mirror being shadowed and strange, the isolation despite being around others.

[@Bigd23813]

Rise Mikey?

[@kiszidelirium]

Ahhh this one hits hard, very accurate to how it feels to be lonely even when you’re around your friends

[@aiyokai7332]

This hits really hard, as an autistic person who struggles with rejection sensitivity. It's so easy to mistake neurotypical people's banter for ignorance, and it hurts even more when you feel comfortable about sharing your interests, only to feel shut down. Also, excellent colors, and the style is so fun and engaging! I especially love just the lil' hand-shake Silas does after using the sink!

[@NighttimeDaydreams]

My thoughts exactly.

[@alize0m0._.4]

I have finally found a piece of media that represents that feeling of being left out in your own group of friends through small actions even while fully knowing those actions aren’t with ill intentions, for me it’s a conflict of wishing for everyone to give me their attention as I give to others, when even if they do it looks different from what I do and therefore I end up understanding it only after I have felt unseen.

[@MeribelNova]

Too real. I can't express just how close to home this hits, thank you for putting it into the words I didn't dare search for. That parasitic feeling didn't leave me until I finally got to college

[@OpposumParty87]

As someone who is neurodivergent and is very sensitive to the feeling of rejection, this really opened my eyes a bit In the first watch through, I felt like I was in his (Silas’s) shoes, every little offhand comment and every look away feeling like a Indication that they didn’t really care and didn’t really want to listen, just waiting until they could leave But now on the second watch through, viewing it through their eyes, It seems a lot more lighthearted and relaxed, like from the outside perspective it’s hard to see the build up of those little things, and then when he grabs her hand and asks if she really wants to hear about Medusa, it feels out of no where and kind of too intense for the situation, even though before it just felt like a breaking point And I don’t know if the wish was supposed to come true or not, but in my eyes I think it’s even more meaningful that nothing probably happened, and they just always did care. And again looking back You can see that they do laugh and try to make jokes around the topic that he’s intrsted in, they were just waiting to play the piano for a while and seeing if it was available or not yet, not that they didn’t care. I don’t know this is all just a ramble but it’s really interesting to see both sides of the story and kind of get to think back on all the little things that have been eating me up inside and realize that I’m probably like reading into it too much and that people care

[@zz1nk_]

yes!!!! this exactly what i was hoping to convey -- how no one was trying to hurt anyone, but these moments can look so different from different angles. im so touched by your response. thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts. so glad u enjoyed the film 🖤🖤

[@OpposumParty87]

⁠@@zz1nk_ahh yay I’m so glad!! I didn’t think anyone would see this, Thank you so much and I loved it!!! You did an incredible job, it’s beautiful and I’m glad I interpreted the message the way you intended!! :D ❤️❤️

[@jeremywaygay]

thank you for this comment, this made me re-watch it and now i feel the exact same way. ive dealt with similar situations and this puts those in a better perspective :)

[@TP-tg8cc]

This film sucks in the pain of that feeling much harder when you are neurodivergent and feel so alienated for such sudden reasons every time you try to express your own interests, it really sucks when a friendship always revolves around having to make room for and compensate with the other party's feelings all the time. Communication is super important! Thank you for this film, I think it really filled a hole in my heart

[@possessedpeach4455]

I wanted to share my own interpretation of this and the characters (which btw I absolutely loved this, the animation, style, framing, its all beautiful) I understand what silus is feeling, insecurities like that are so hard to deal with, but its obvious his friends DO give a shit about him. I like to believe his wish for them to care didnt change how they were, it just helped him see that they cared about him. all the characterization is really well done!!!! beautiful job!

[@MissXHiem]

this this this! i relate to that initial horrible feeling and i relate to needing to step away to breathe with those thoughts- but at the end of the film they do care and they do ask him about his interests and they give him comfort and pull him back to reality, its an incredible visualization of those roller coaster of emotions

[@earnest2898]

Yeah he's just a little selfishly absorbed in his own emotions, can't see past his own insecurities. Cool that they captured that personality so well to the point that it irked me! I agree I don't think the wish changed anything but his own perspective (made him look for the care instead of focusing on his own feelings of loneliness.)

[@OctopusOwl]

That “Are you good?” “I… don’t know “ Straight into group hug??? 🥰 just. Friends, man. They’re so important.

[@TheriiYuh]

years later i see this and finally feel seen, this came out of nowhere on my recommended videos but it makes me so happy 😭

[@kiamichelleee.]

Silas is so relatable, I don’t even know him but I love him.

[@Mr.Twinklebottom]

Hey this actually makes me feel like im not alone I cannot express how many times i felt like this then felt absolutely terrible for getting mad at my friends

[@bluejay623]

god DAMN the voice acting in this is freaking SPECTACULAR literally awesome.... cannot even speak for the art style or the ambience that the color palette gives RAHHHH i love this film

[@LeanMeanAsianCuisine]

I definitely get it I’ve felt this exact way. It’s a mood that you want to pass though. Friends usually don’t wanna hurt you. Some people just have short attention spans and jump around without regards to meaningful conversation. We on the ADHD/ASD with this one guys

[@Evie_3vi3]

For the last 8 years, I felt like this constantly. The people who I was friends with were interested in all the stuff I wasn’t and vice versa. It didn’t matter how much time I spent around them, we really weren’t that close. I hated being around people because of the way of was treated around them. Thankfully, my group of friends currently is amazing, but that feeling that you have to almost beg for people to just listen to you still comes back sometimes.

[@choconut_.]

Damn I felt his pain so hard. Its a reason why I prefer not to speak mostly because I end up getting ignored or feel like im not being listened to and I just start feeling like a by-stander. Then the loneliness feeling kicks in and you just want to leave and not talk again. Sometimes I felt like I had to find new friends.

[@Naeundominiel2002]

this is so deep. it entered my soul. or my heart, i don't know. i wanted to cry seeing this (maybe i rlly cried, whatever) i, i loved it i loved it, so much, in so many ways it's like, the colors, the animation, the context, the story wtf this is SO AWESOME!! sometimes we just, ik, want to be listened. like, really, listened. there's a difference between hear and listen, and this... this masterpiece, this piece of art shows it. it's just, simply and perfect, real. i loved it. i'm just a nobody saying this but, man, you're amazing, for real pls keep doing, you're awesome

[@TotallyisaCAT]

Saw top surgery scars, stuck around. No but seriously, love this film!!! It's such a perfect length and already set the scene for the characters and their dynamic. Brilliant work :]

[@JehanneLaPvcelle]

Same seriously, about the top surgery scars and the film (It’s so great‼️)

[@LouisRoe]

it feels silly but honestly this was the first time i noticed top surgery scars depicted casually in an animation and i rly appreciated that detail 😅

[@JehanneLaPvcelle]

@@LouisRoe Yeah I liked that too!!

[@helenaborgespeixoto7598]

I only noticed that after this comment lol

[@TechTchno]

​@@LouisRoe Yessss me too actually haha!

[@sharkshakes]

saw the top surgery scars, saw the blue hair, stuck around for the smooth animation

[@juneymoony6729]

GOD as an autistic person I relate to the feelings expressed here so much. Beautiful film

[@RyanVRT]

This film genuinely made me cry. I don't understand how being alone in a room full of people is possible. Yes it's a universal human experience... But how is it possible? Is it perspective. Or its it that we are all really just alone.... I have friends and yet i feel like im the number one prority in no ones life. Not even my own. I love my family but i feel like im not as significant to my parents as my brothers are. I do everything for my friend and paint them something new made form the heart every year. Yet i had to remind my best friend that is was my birthday... I feel so alone. This film captures tho good and the bad of being alone in a room full of people. the reality that they do care you just need to look deeper. Just babbles if a 17 year old 😅 sorry for venting For real i love the art tho!!!

[@bella_daze3092]

I know how this feels… I know it well. I was alone in my 17th birthday too

[@MeribelNova]

You're not the only one, no need to apologise for venting when it's helping others know they're not alone! One of my upper teen birthdays was spent in uncomfortable silence too. I know 17 is rough and you can't see what's past the horizon right now, but it WILL get better. I didn't think it would, but I gave it time, went to college, found people I cared about as much as they cared for me, and the parasitic thoughts just...melted away. I really hope you can find that feeling too, whatever your path to it looks like. :))

[@RyanVRT]

@@MeribelNova thank you so much for the reassurance! I have hope that things will get better!

[@MeribelNova]

@@RyanVRT Glad to hear it!!!

[@Skiski07]

This captured a lot of how I’ve been feeling, especially how getting talked over, it makes me feel left out sm. I question a lot if I have friends or if they are js acquaintances at school. Makes me overthink a lot.

[@ducktutu]

I love this, it's so well done! It's really lovely, and I appreciate how no one is portrayed as some sort of shitty person; it's just friends communicating and miscommunicating and etc. Felt very true to my experience with friends and being hurt by and hurting them without meaning to and sometimes without anyone truly doing anything "wrong."

[@enda2point0]

I dont think I've ever seen anyone so accurately depict that searching look someone gives you when they could not give less of a fuck about what you are saying. This really truly touched me in a way I wasn't ready for at all. Thank you.

[@fernflowerss]

I LOVE the stylization of the star, both as the symbol AND character

[@knjjah2776]

I used to be the Silas of my friend group and now I have no friends at all, and sometimes I wish I had just continued letting those people half-ignore me for a few more years, cause I feel so lonely now. and I'm not sure which one sucks worse but being alone all the time can't be good for me lol.

[@natsumiizuku1370]

I do know now that the boy is a little sensitive maybe but I'm happy that his friends end up caring bout him come on they just wanted to play piano right 🙂

[@papbappow]

i didn't even realize how tense i was till the end, waiting for the fall out. but seeing that hug brought me to tears, i didn't even see it coming

[@rowanonthemoon]

i love everything about this, from the janky lines and perspective in the art style to the mythology stuff to the colours to the sense of isolation that can pervade even into your closest relationships when you're part of a minority group who are constantly told they don't matter. i hope you keep creating :)

[@-GwenIS-]

The movement for Perseid is so enchanting, the colors and design is so cool!!

[@jayviescas7703]

Someone needs to read up on their Greek Mythology - Medusa had sisters, they were called the Gorgons and her sisters were Stheno and Euryale.

[@HomicidalRabbit-rm2mr]

Every 30 seconds I went "AWWWW" In every way possible

[@raoulkramer3895]

You think the end would’ve happened even if he didn’t wish for that

[@helenaberg-bb6sy]

The emotional depth of the story really touched me... Loved the attention to detail in the character designs, color palette and lighting!

[@manarabbas9240]

Silus is over complicating things that doesnt even exist, he’s really relatable tho when you feel like everyone is ignoring you because you crave more attention and wanna feel more special, I loved the animation, keep going 🤍

[@Andreas-the-goth-cat]

Unbelievably good. This felt like a whole feature. The acting. The lighting. The backgrounds. The sound design.

[@nyxs_time_alone]

This film is so beautiful and the character designs ,especially for perseid, are amazing. You can clearly understand that his friends do give a shit but i also can very much relate to thinking that people close to you don't want to hear anything you want to say (Also the surgery scars👀)

[@123silenthillfan]

i wonder if the end would be the same if he didnt "wish" for it

[@artysmartyzz3102]

You have to master perspective to break it, and you MASTERED IT

[@walkingpersimmon]

as someone with depression and dissociates a lot, thank you for making this! this is exactly how it feels to be me

[@lewvvk]

THANK U SO MUCH for letting me work on this :-) animating the Perseid was so much fun

[@raaz-ki-baatein]

happy calarts szn to all who celebrate

[@cynabre1327]

don't want to be too emotive, right ? but you just gave me faith to animate again. thanks.

[@juliusalmighty5170]

the hug looked so real, and the perseid!!! so cool!! what a lovely short film

[@NymphaeumVA]

I love the Perseid Meteors (they happen every year!) they’re so special and I got to share it with my friends at the time, we all sat and watched for hours

[@Zipzakk]

This is so relatable why am I crying

[@ijlayugan4149]

That Perseid's voice was so cool

[@mrtap3w0rm]

This one hit me in my core I love it

[@sxmplyblossom8048]

this is FENOMENAL

[@dodo-in3qt]

this is so gorgeous i am beyond words. your style, colour usage, the star, everything within this animation is so beautiful and smooth and has such a comforting air to it.

[@chloecam101]

beautiful

[@-uzzzy-1498]

I'll listen to silas all day

[@Gahahaaa]

Blinking at your shadowy reflection. It blinking back. This is something I know well

[@LouisRoe]

great tone, storytelling and attention to detail! loved the way the character interactions were animated and the voice actors absolutely knocked it out of the park. stellar work ❣️

[@nulno]

Beautiful ✨️ 🌟 ⭐️ 🌠 💫

[@wanderingwallflower5126]

That was gorgeous

[@angelknives]

too real so seen

[@cowardtalks]

I… felt that. Thank you for making this. Спасибо.

[@heyyyrosie]

wowowow!! beautiful beautiful film

[@RubyRider_62442]

I love seeing someone else who is obsessed with Greek Mythology even though they're fictional.

[@emeiemee]

I CRIED

[@urmomdoer2315]

I love the shot perspectives!!!!!!!! It makes me feel like im there

[@The7thDraconian]

The feeling of being around friends and yet still feeling so lonely. I know how that feels and it was portrayed wonderfully here. Excellent work.

[@VM_Production24]

Lately KZbin has been recommending beautiful animations to me on the Home page. Truly beautiful work. I haven't nothing else to add

[@CookieLoverPC]

This is sick !

[@deal_dough]

It's a little sad because he had to wish his friends cared abt him instead of them already caring

[@limeslush1e]

the sound design and voice acting is so beautiful. and i am so happy to see a body like mine in animation

[@h4rinini]

I love this so much, also LILY OF THE VALLEY

[@luqmango8139]

Parker reminds me of my friend with ADHD running away from mid convo being creative & all

[@vikagu9364]

Fuck this just popped up and i almost cried. The feeling of people not giving a shit about what you have to say is real and you poetrayed it so well. Thank you for making this

[@Tipsy_Turby]

Nah bc as a neurotypical person, I really didn’t catch this at first, and was quite confused lmfao. This is absolutely beautiful by the way, and by what the comments are saying, I’m glad that this helped a lot of people

[@GaryCandyPrince]

This was incredible, I would love to see more of these characters to be honest. Also I love the art style.

[@bella_daze3092]

This film hit home for me. Being alone in a room full of people, even with your own friends.

[@unit333angel]

This is so sweet and wholesome.

[@numicats]

The casual dialogue,the dynamic perspective,the color,the ambiance😍😍

[@elizabethmonroe2290]

Feeling alone with your friends is a sign they arent the right fit for you. Mc should have gone and found friends that actually want him around. The message of this film just feels immature. I completely understand the feeling mc goes through, wanting his friends to actually care. However, friends that make it clear they dont care arent friends. Dont get caught up chasing friends that dont see you the same.

[@Meowwgii]

I had a friend of 7 people before lockdown. They were everything I looked for in friends. For 2 years, we were the closest friends and then lockdown happened. We used to chat 24/7 but when we met after lockdown, I was mad awkward. I thought it was a phase and I’ll get over it. But when school reopened, I felt stuck. I couldn’t bring out my old extrovert self back, I was shy, uncomfortable and developed anxiety. I couldn’t even eat with them without feeling weird. For the following year, none of them noticed that. And eventually, I started to feel excluded. I started to blame it on myself. Maybe I changed. Maybe I’m too tall to fit in. All that bs. it took me my birthday to realise how the problem was their lack of efforts and not just me changing. Three months after my realisation, I left the group. I did have fears if I’ll ever be able to find “my” people ever again. But the day I left the group was like a fresh breath. I could breathe again. It’s been quite a while since that day. I’ve come far and made many more friends that I’m actually more comfortable with now. I miss what we had before lockdown, but people change. This video reminds me how different it would’ve been if they realised I felt excluded or even bothered to talk to me, but I’m glad whatever way it ended.

[@enyonamayivor1227]

Shoutout to all my Silas’ in this world.

[@gnoot50]

jeez this is crazy relatable. its like i want to talk to my friends about stuff that i find interesting but i just feel disconnected idk

[@weirdio26]

I was expecting this to be one of those animated short films with almost a million views I’m so shocked it’s only 4,000 rn this is so underrated

[@karchakas]

So good! What?!!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@starringrien1114]

I was rewatching this because #relatable and i noticed top surgery scars and I have become happy

[@Milk-ck1wv]

SILAS HAS TOP SCARS SPOTTED 🫂

[@idontneedachannelthanksyou7292]

I feel very seen in a sad way. Sometimes I can’t get a word in no matter how hard I try, friends interrupt and conversation topics change but I’m still waiting to say my piece. Also are those top surgery scars on Silus? If so, good for him

[@Thetheoristbetwixtyall]

This is awesome, love the art style also, the perspective is on point❤❤❤❤

[@fern2703]

i actually needed this animation so bad right now. i feel the same as you silas. not just cuz i'd also like to talk about greek mythology

[@buggy22cat]

it’s so sad how medusa was a victim of rape, and for suffering that, was given the curse of turning people to stone.

[@buggy22cat]

anyways i love the animation sm, the timing of movement is perfect and i absolutely love low fps but well paced movement animation, and the story too

[@asholie]

Gorgeous animation, love the art style. I was genuinely so mesmerised.

[@Jojo-xg2kr]

Agreed hope there’s more

[@cloudyfoundy568]

Oh my god the design?? Animation? I love how their colors compliment eachother as well, soso good

[@nomoretwitterhandles]

yeah the design looks like ass 😍 u would love bigmouth

[@noya2763]

Loved this. Hope it will get more attention. The feelings were delivered very well.

[@juliasz.1017]

Incredible! deserves more recognition

[@saraolt]

I like that the star heard him, went down, and told him "your friends love you and your infodumps and dont want them to stop u nerd," gave him a kiss on the forehead, and then disappeared

[@ratpotato-yl3gf]

agh god i need a friendship like this. also top surgery scars!!!!

[@calebstired8539]

this is so cool ! I love how sketchy the artstyle is with the color palette. It fits together so well

[@Jisabox]

im silas except i just stop talking when i’m interrupted

[@redacted_problems7089]

How can something like this hurt me so much??? It seems like nothing in the eyes of the bystanders because it's easy to recognize that most of these actions are not meant with ill intent, but it hurts me so so much. All the friendships I ever had feel like this. I try my best to fit in but I can't and I know that there is something wrong with me but I just can’t pinpoint it. Do my friends not care because of what I am and what I stand to be, or is it just part of the teenage life? Why does it keep repeating? Why do I want to be understood? The questions of being a social human just. Perpetuate my mind and I find myself being overly upset at things that could be worse. Help

[@helicoptergovroomvroom4360]

I have nothing to say except more people should see this so I’m gonna comment, well done

[@Aceofspades2006]

This is really accurate for genz, well at least for me. The queerness, neurodiversity and just growing up and I like it’s not a comedy but has funny things.