I Like You Analysis ,i Have A Interpretation Of This Short Film Where Clair Thinks That She Is The Responsible

I like you analysis ,i have a interpretation of this short film where clair thinks that she is the responsible for the family being like this, well actually I saw this idea in a video that explained the short film but I shared it.

Every time I look at Jack Staubers Opal I’m blown away by the symbolism. For context; Jack Stauber made a short film in connection to Adult Swim. The story itself follows Claire navigating her household, where we are introduced to her neglectful family. It’s a really good short!! I recommend you watch it before reading this.

Tw: Child neglect, drug abuse, Nicotine abuse, lots of fantastical elements in connection with coping

I’m not gonna beat around the bush, this short is disturbing. Amazing, but disturbing.

Claire does not lead a comfortable life. When I’m comparison to everyone else, Claire is very obviously malnourished. In the Opal house, she has a burger in front of her. You expect her to eat the burger… but she dances with it. She has no idea what you even DO with a burger, she’s never eaten one. On top of this, when Claire comes back from looking at the sign, the grandpa say she SMELLS different, implying that she stinks. The house is littered with trash and papers. Grandpa and Moms living habits exasperate the situation, we see bloodied tissues and pill bottles everywhere

On top of this, we notice Claire isn’t even a person to her family, more of a tool. During the sequence where we see Claire’s face being molded, we see how she relates to the family. She’s the Grandpas eyes. She’s the fathers face. The moms pill.

The grandpa is blind and addicted to nicotine. He often wonders why it sounds so easy to breathe??? Much like Opal, he’s trying to cope through living in a fantasy. He imagines the people on the tv love him. The tv after all, is the only thing that stays with him. It gladly enables his behavior. Claire tries not to enable him, but unltimately she is the only one taking care of him. She hands him his cigarettes, even though she tries to hide them. She’s terrified of him, but she’s the only responsible one taking care of him

The father is coping through his narcissism. He has mirrors around him constantly because he needs to be SEEN. There are a couple lines hinting that his relationship with his wife is not great. He is just a small adult that’s trying to grow. He NEEDS to be perfect. He copes by looking at his mirrors and constantly grooming himself. Whenever we think he’s reaching out for Claire, he’s actually reaching for a mirror. Claire puts up with his behavior in the hope that one day he might reach for her instead. He is the safest adult in her life, and she isn’t even truly acknowledged by him unless it’s to boost himself

The mother is an addict and drug abuser. She is extremely aware of their living situation, and she thinks of herself as a martyr. Instead of trying to fix their situation, she has succumbed to her vices. She needs Claire to be her daughter, so she can feel some control in her life. Claire is the only innocent one out of all of them, and she NEEDS Claire to be her savior. She grasps at Claire because that’s the only reason for existing. Because after all, they don’t live. They survive.

In her real house, they only see Claire for what they need. They only use Opal as a way to boost themselves up. In the other family, Opal is SEEN by the other family. They love her. Her troubles are miles away.

The family that doesn’t exist loves and sees her more then her real one.