They played this entire film during their "Special Evening" tour in April 2019. We in the audience had no idea it was coming. Then they turned on the lights for an intermission. There wasn't a single dry eye in the auditorium. Then they played the entire album from beginning to end, with a string section and choir. There's no other band like this anywhere. It was the most incredible concert I have ever experienced.
Saw this tour in Paris, 4th row and it was absolutely breathtaking. It marked the moment I knew I was in love with the city i had adopted as an expat in 2017. It was expansive and exhilarating and profound.
started crying towards the half of the movie and its been 45 min since I watched it and im still crying. Im 23 and yet I feel like I regret so much. So much time was wasted doing things i didn't actually wanted to do and wasting time with people i didn't quite wanted to be around that didn't care if I was dead or alive. Im glad I had some sort of awakening this year. I didn't like to take photos and now im capturing every moment I have with the few but loveable friends of mine and with my parents whom I love so much. I don't have pics of many birthdays that I preferred to stay inside the studio composing or using drugs alone, don't have any photos of my high school graduation, my first concert with my band, etc. Have wasted so much energy doing drugs, getting drunk, stoned and not enjoying the pleasure of sobriety through my most cherished moments. But from now on I hope things will be different. (sry about bad English, not my main language)
I'm gonna be 30 this year. This film taught me that all the feelings I'm feeling, all the worries, they are normal, they are just part of what human life is. Sometimes our brains trick us into thinking we're weird, not normal and when we feel doomed and stressed we feel as if we'll never go back to feeling safe and secure again. When I was your age, I felt the same, I let go most of my friendships. around 25 to 28 were the best years of my life (so far), I knew who I was, what I wanted, it was an awakening. Now I'm losing my self again, not knowing what I want, where I want to be ... who am I. I worry if I'll ever find myself again like I did when I was 25. Yet, this film reminded me that's just human life, just keep calm and carry on. One thing life taught me is that you can never predict life, and if you can predict it you're probably too stuck on your comfort zone, let go, and live life it's ups and downs and lostness and feeling home. I don't know why I wrote this comment, but you reminded me of myself. At 23 you shouldn't regret wasting time, you still have plenty of it. Even I at 29 feeling like I've already lived a lot, I know I didn't there's still whole lives waiting for us to experience them.
I'm crying. Feels like a return to classic theater in a short time span. Flash-theater. Micro-theater? The film that pops to mind as being similarly ambitious is the late PSH's Synecdoche, New York, which if you liked this, you may enjoy.
@@lonesaiyan27 she was in tomb raider right? What else is she in? Suddenly I think she's the bee's knees! (When a famous actress does a music video it's awesomeness)
Natalee Perez yes! Also she’s really amazing in ex machina, and won an Oscar for best supporting actress in the danish girl! She’s also done some other fantastic work
My old friend told me many times - The National sing about all life changes and all love situations that we can ever imagine. And he was true. I am crying. Thank you.
i want to die b4 my mum dies .. i know it will fuck me up in every way when she dies b4 me .. i no im being a selfish fucker . and it will destroy my mum to see her youngest son die b4 her ,,,,,,,
I am Father of three girls, currently 6, 8, and 12. Also a big The National fan. I come back to this every so often, and any amount of stress, annoyance, disappointment, or selfish yearning for more "me time" I harbor regarding my girls/my parental responsibilities immediately melts and dissolves into gratitude, empathy, renewed desire to be more engaged and present, and a (probably) healthy amount of fear (of time slipping away) and guilt (for not being more gracious and empathetic). Good timing this time. Headed on a mini vacation tomorrow. You can bet I'll be more interested in taking in their beauty and keeping them safe than slugging IPAs and yakking on with adult relatives (though I might get to work in just a tad of the latter). So, basically, yes, I'm the epitome of the Sad Dad The National groupie.
something makes me feel sad and it's the realization of the fact that sometimes dreams can't be accomplished. It's not that easy as movies or songs tell us. we may want to be dancers but end up having a normal job, it's not a bad thing, but at the end of our life when we see everything with another perspective, we've learn now how to live, how to understand, we can't help but wonder "what if" feeling nostalgic about our life choices and then we have to go, I think the hardest part is accepting who we are and living with ourselves or at least trying. Every time I think about my grandmother I get very sad because when I was a child I couldn't get her feelings and what she was going through, even if she can't know now, I'm grateful she shared who she was with me. Thanks for this wonderful piece of art, it made me think about myself and others, brought tears to my eyes and desire to live.
I was already crying and then the thought entered my head about how this could be her life flashing before her eyes because her physical appearance never changes. I’m destroyed. Words cannot describe
Holy crap. Artists making art. No concern for making the next big hit. The National has always built these elaborate scenes with just a few words, but only in music form. I've often said they create the picture that's worth a thousand words using just five. So much depth and connection in each and every scene. Huge feelings and personal time travel in just a few frames. Absolutely beautiful piece. If even half these sounds and words make it on the new album I'll be a happy man. Eager to watch this with my kids. Great marriage of director/musicians/creators/humans.
We should support this. Encourage other artists to try the album/film. Florence Welch did this in the mid 2010s. It was so satisfying like, I can't go back to the exact MTV music video days i enjoyed as a child, but albums paired with short films is like the next big think. Glad you liked it.
Jared Allen watched this with my dad, it’s really one of the most beautiful films I’ve seen in my 12 years on this planet. I absolutely adore this, the music and visuals are amazing. As natalee said, I also want there to be more artists/videos like this. For another great music video I recommend ‘Kevin Morby-Oh My God film’. ua-cam.com/video/eMJ94oGi6D8/v-deo.html Have a great day!
That reminds me how beautiful is to be alive and go through this journey. I guess The National wanted to give that to us for years and now found a way to do. This visual album will mean something very different to me as life continues to pass.
That was one of the most deeply beautiful, and cohesively creative works of art I've ever experienced. As much as I did enjoy it, I am however very grateful that I was able to watch it alone; in the privacy of my home. There's no way that I would have been able to hold in all of the emotion that came out on it's own. I was the child, the mother, the daughter, in a small way-the wife, and then the mother again. To have the essence of the spirit captured this way is profoundly magnificent. Now I really can't wait for the album! It makes me wish I had someone special to see them live with.
I wished to see them live with someone special as well, and then I went to their concert alone. I havent felt alone for a minute, they radiate all the distance their music reaches with fulfilling energy. Go alone, youll find more than you expect.
I was crying by the time she started dreaming of her mother dancing. It’s so strange watching a person live a whole life in brief captions, it reduces so much to just a few lines and yet it feels like I have really watched an entire, full and complex life. So beautiful, smart and of course, what a soundtrack. Incredible. Alicia is just perfection here.
But I'm learning to lie here in the quiet light While I watch the sky go from black to grey Learning how not to die inside a little every time I think about you and wonder if you are awake
At first I wasn't enjoying her playing the child under two years of age but then it started to make sense to have her entire life as one ageless person because it gives me a new perspective when thinking about my kids who are not teenagers. Applaud this short film and Mike Mills and The National are a great marriage!
The greatest thing about this short film is showing us that no matter where you’re from, every single one of us/every single human being goes through these emotions through these steps we call life. It’s all in the process of us figuring ourselves out. It’s the beautiful thing that I think some of us forget to do and just enjoy and embrace- LIFE ❤️
What a beautiful film by Mike Mills & The National on humanity. Doesn’t matter what race or country one lives in. We all have the same aspirations, joy, turmoil and experiences in life set in different context but likely the same beautifully portrayed by Alicia Vikander.
I was crying the whole way through, and I’m still crying. Deep down, I’ve always wished more than anything else that I could’ve been born a girl. Seeing the complete life of this girl, through all the happiness, pain, joy, confusion, and fear, all I could think about was how I would’ve given anything to have that, to have any of it. I would’ve taken the good with the bad. And maybe I am that girl and _this_ is my pain to carry, but why does it have to be _so painful?_ Is this what life is? To see the missing and broken parts of yourself given freely to others, trying to regrow just to keep your body standing? If anyone reads this, thank you for listening. I'm not trying to make people feel sorry for me, I just really needed to say this. I guess it's easier to talk to no one than to someone, regardless of who might be listening. Thank you also to The National for the incredible music and to everyone who helped create this beautiful film. I can't believe I hadn't seen it earlier.
Discovered during the 2020 lockdown (who even remembers which one). I keep returning to this film every few months. It moves my soul, it reminds me of my own mortality and of the beauty of life. It makes me feel vulnerable to the bone and at the same time reassures me, saying "it's ok, you'll be fine, everything will be fine"
OMG !!! This is art at its purest. The amazing and talented Alicia Vikander portraying a story of a lifetime beyond acting but embracing the moment and age of the character with moves, gestures, and looks. Magnificent work. Congrats to the writer and director Mike Mills for this piece, the way you convey the storyline to sentences and colors, the whole narrative in scenes, and thank you for choosing Alicia for the job. Besides, I just discovered the band The National because of Taylor Swift's new album, but I have felt in love with the songs. Love this short film !
It really hit me: we spend most of our lives alone, so why not spend it with those we love as much as we can? I haven't watched such a wonderful piece of art in such a long time. Thank God for the internet.
Saw this live at Beacon Theater in NYC. Stunning, rapturous encapsulation of a life set to the soundtrack of life itself. Grateful they released it, since they said the film version of the songs are different than the album version, and the film versions are incredible as they are. Thanks to Mike Mills and The National.
i love how this movie could potray a woman in all aspect of her life, from birth to death and covering her struggles, flaws, achievements, sexuality in such a poignant and honest way... i'm grateful that the national did this, i really do :")
I have always found The National the most cinematic sounding band out there so this is really special to have access to. I hope to have one of their tracks in a film I make one day.
Light years is my second favorite song by the national, after pink rabbits. But I have to emotionally prepare myself to listen to light years and have time after to recover, and when I comes on unexpectedly my first thought is "oh shit..."
Isn't life just so complex but amazing, so much emotion in 25 mins. This is music, art and it made me well up but in a good way. The new album is brilliant, I am easy to find, is such an emotional and personal song to me, my favourite on the album.
After reading the vulture article about Folklore and hearing how Taylor inpacted that movie I started to watch it. No doubt now I can completely understand her. I cant really watch the whole thing cuz its so emotional. Everyone should take a look at this masterpiece🧡
This film is so beautiful. Alicia is wonderful playing someone from the cradle to the grave. It certainly made me think about my life. And all the people i have lost and will loose. It made me cry, but with a sense of hope, thank you to all involved.
A hermetically sealed space, sparse and uncluttered and anachronistic. It is the absence of things which resonate here, both materially, and in the narrative of her unremarkable life. Loss, she never dances, trauma, mute. The music reflects this anxiety, the memories, which perhaps are reliable or not. This is The National allowing more space, silence to be permitted to grow and illuminate their compositions. The hopeless romantic sings as bereaved of hope as is she. Beguiled then, lyrics fly around her and resonate with the terse blocks of colour and factual storytelling. This dichotomy, between the presence of a world, and a slightly eerie imagined one, where technology is rarely seen and is reminiscent of Shirley Jackson, and her inimitable stories. The film and music touch the luminal, the space between life and death, and succeed beautifully. It is profound, painful, and deeply memorable. Congratulations to all involved, a wonderful piece of work.
Alicia, is a National Treasure, for Me, as a Swede. I never Heard off this BAND!!! OMG!! Best Music Ever!! Sooo Deep, emptional, artistic, just Brilliant!!! I wept like a Baby! :-)
Mikael Stenlund Welcome to The National, greatly enjoy your stay and remember the new album comes out Friday with the music featured in this movie plus more
This touched me in a way only this band could ever do. I cried so hard and I’m feeling so thankful for what I have. I can relate to her in every possible level. Loved this.
but it is. the thing is you must have valuable things in your life such as ppl you love or things you love to do to reduce the sadness and the nostalgia
@@nileshollowthorn thanks mate, girlfriends 30th Sunday so nice surprise for her and then I'll be off to see The National in July + December, if you havent seen them then you're missing out big time, one of my favourite live acts, they did a tribute to Scott Hutchinson from Frightened Rabbit in London last year and they're also one of my favourite bands x
The National always manage to tell such human stories through their music, here they've beautifully brought that storytelling to film. This has moved me. I can not wait to listen to the full record this Friday.
I listened to the album on repeat since it was released, but didn't see the film until now. Seeing how the songs were used--same and different--made it feel like I was seeing an old friend in a new light. Both the film (acting and direction) and music are lovely and a treasure.
WOW JUST WOW I JUST CANT EXPLAIN THE FEELING I’M FEELING NOW WHAT IS THIS THIS IS TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR THIS WORLD WE DONT DESERVE THIS THANK YOU SO MUCH THE NATIONAL AND ALICIA VIKANDER FOR MAKING ME CRY LIKE A BABY THANK YOU FOR THIS RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE NOW I KNOW THAT IM STILL HUMAN
One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen .. all the small and big moments that is life, emotion, all captured in less than half an hour - a stunning film and a breathtaking soundtrack..
That was gorgeous and heartbreaking and wonderful and charming and everything I wanted to be yet somehow even more, bravo to everyone involved with the film and the music, It's been at least 25 minutes since I finished the film and I Still feel like I'm going to cry
The life is a vicious cycle ... We born, live, die and relive again the same life in different form... We relive the moments that our father, grandfather, mother have once lived!! Our existence never ceases.. It continues and continues.. We live immortal and always feel mortal!!
In the beginning I saw the character as myself. I could relate to a lot of things and especially the school/university stage because that's the stage I'm at right now. Then after that I still saw my future. But slowly,I don't know when, I didn't see myself in her anymore. Instead I saw my mother which made me cry even more. I often think I know so much about life, but this film made me look at my life and my mother completely differently.
They played this entire film during their "Special Evening" tour in April 2019. We in the audience had no idea it was coming. Then they turned on the lights for an intermission. There wasn't a single dry eye in the auditorium. Then they played the entire album from beginning to end, with a string section and choir. There's no other band like this anywhere. It was the most incredible concert I have ever experienced.
Saw this tour in Paris, 4th row and it was absolutely breathtaking. It marked the moment I knew I was in love with the city i had adopted as an expat in 2017. It was expansive and exhilarating and profound.
I saw this in London. Anytime I feel like I need a release, a proper bawl my eyes out - I come back to this. :)
Was at the Toronto show. The minute Quiet Light started, I was done for
I can't believe they did you all dirty like that (turning on the lights)
@@codycooke4461I was there too, and I cried like a baby! I guess that makes us human.
started crying towards the half of the movie and its been 45 min since I watched it and im still crying. Im 23 and yet I feel like I regret so much. So much time was wasted doing things i didn't actually wanted to do and wasting time with people i didn't quite wanted to be around that didn't care if I was dead or alive. Im glad I had some sort of awakening this year. I didn't like to take photos and now im capturing every moment I have with the few but loveable friends of mine and with my parents whom I love so much. I don't have pics of many birthdays that I preferred to stay inside the studio composing or using drugs alone, don't have any photos of my high school graduation, my first concert with my band, etc. Have wasted so much energy doing drugs, getting drunk, stoned and not enjoying the pleasure of sobriety through my most cherished moments. But from now on I hope things will be different. (sry about bad English, not my main language)
I'm gonna be 30 this year. This film taught me that all the feelings I'm feeling, all the worries, they are normal, they are just part of what human life is. Sometimes our brains trick us into thinking we're weird, not normal and when we feel doomed and stressed we feel as if we'll never go back to feeling safe and secure again.
When I was your age, I felt the same, I let go most of my friendships. around 25 to 28 were the best years of my life (so far), I knew who I was, what I wanted, it was an awakening. Now I'm losing my self again, not knowing what I want, where I want to be ... who am I. I worry if I'll ever find myself again like I did when I was 25. Yet, this film reminded me that's just human life, just keep calm and carry on. One thing life taught me is that you can never predict life, and if you can predict it you're probably too stuck on your comfort zone, let go, and live life it's ups and downs and lostness and feeling home.
I don't know why I wrote this comment, but you reminded me of myself. At 23 you shouldn't regret wasting time, you still have plenty of it. Even I at 29 feeling like I've already lived a lot, I know I didn't there's still whole lives waiting for us to experience them.
Me too
bad English?? that's beautifully written
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Girl I hope you’re doing welllll
Also can we applaud Alicia Vikander, she can portray a baby to an elder without basically any physical changes!
I'm crying. Feels like a return to classic theater in a short time span. Flash-theater. Micro-theater? The film that pops to mind as being similarly ambitious is the late PSH's Synecdoche, New York, which if you liked this, you may enjoy.
Alicia Vikander is a national treasure
@@lonesaiyan27 she was in tomb raider right? What else is she in? Suddenly I think she's the bee's knees! (When a famous actress does a music video it's awesomeness)
Natalee Perez yes! Also she’s really amazing in ex machina, and won an Oscar for best supporting actress in the danish girl! She’s also done some other fantastic work
@@sherlaneyuen5263 omg I love Danish pastries.
If an alien asks me how a human life works, I can show them this masterpiece
😉
Welcome to the planet. It sucks. Lol.
Did u you know who is john dettman?
@@badhabit7553 is J.D. a fictional celbriry, like her first crush? Like a poster of Johnny Depp in your bedroom? Idk
@@nataleeflores3487 thank you so much for the explaination. I've been google his name but couldnt find anything.
My old friend told me many times - The National sing about all life changes and all love situations that we can ever imagine. And he was true. I am crying. Thank you.
Anna AdNotam iyitytw
Dem feels @Anna AdNotam I cried during this whole movie, constantly.
That's why I'm terrified of time. I'm not ready to see my parents die, or to get older and feel death's approach haunting me every second
No one is prepared for that. Thats why you have family/friendas that can support you during those moments.
I reccomend reading David Hawkins power vs force trilogy, will cure this fear ❤️
@Jordy Monsieurs great book bro!
When you're old and weak, I imagine death is not as scary as in your 20s
i want to die b4 my mum dies .. i know it will fuck me up in every way when she dies b4 me .. i no im being a selfish fucker . and it will destroy my mum to see her youngest son die b4 her ,,,,,,,
I am Father of three girls, currently 6, 8, and 12. Also a big The National fan. I come back to this every so often, and any amount of stress, annoyance, disappointment, or selfish yearning for more "me time" I harbor regarding my girls/my parental responsibilities immediately melts and dissolves into gratitude, empathy, renewed desire to be more engaged and present, and a (probably) healthy amount of fear (of time slipping away) and guilt (for not being more gracious and empathetic). Good timing this time. Headed on a mini vacation tomorrow. You can bet I'll be more interested in taking in their beauty and keeping them safe than slugging IPAs and yakking on with adult relatives (though I might get to work in just a tad of the latter). So, basically, yes, I'm the epitome of the Sad Dad The National groupie.
This made me cryyyy that’s so beautiful man
This movie is life itself, it is my life, yours, our children. I felt so many things... i felt it my story...
“Feeling big, small, scared, at ease”
Damn! This was heavy...
A timeless piece of art about life within time.
Bruh yeah; it was that line that really hit me when it was over.
In the best possible way, I feel like I’ve been listening to these songs all my life.
Right? I think they tap into a great range of influence. No idea. Would love to hear the band talk about artists that inspired them.
Exactly!!!
something makes me feel sad and it's the realization of the fact that sometimes dreams can't be accomplished. It's not that easy as movies or songs tell us. we may want to be dancers but end up having a normal job, it's not a bad thing, but at the end of our life when we see everything with another perspective, we've learn now how to live, how to understand, we can't help but wonder "what if" feeling nostalgic about our life choices and then we have to go, I think the hardest part is accepting who we are and living with ourselves or at least trying. Every time I think about my grandmother I get very sad because when I was a child I couldn't get her feelings and what she was going through, even if she can't know now, I'm grateful she shared who she was with me.
Thanks for this wonderful piece of art, it made me think about myself and others, brought tears to my eyes and desire to live.
Stop this comment just made me more emotional 😓
I agree with everything you said, thank you Andrea!
Man this gave me tears
I thought a lot about my grandma and cried
Alicia, you are a poem, a wonder of humanity, an artist, a beautiful spirited woman.
@Vincent H. There are people who can feel , see, hear and say what they feel. And there are people who can only express their envy.
If i ever write a book...I'll quote you.
I was already crying and then the thought entered my head about how this could be her life flashing before her eyes because her physical appearance never changes. I’m destroyed. Words cannot describe
I do not cry. Maybe once a year. I was full of emotion during this beautiful piece. Tears down my face. Life is beautiful.
@@jojojonah1989 wonderful comment!
Holy crap. Artists making art. No concern for making the next big hit. The National has always built these elaborate scenes with just a few words, but only in music form. I've often said they create the picture that's worth a thousand words using just five. So much depth and connection in each and every scene. Huge feelings and personal time travel in just a few frames. Absolutely beautiful piece. If even half these sounds and words make it on the new album I'll be a happy man. Eager to watch this with my kids. Great marriage of director/musicians/creators/humans.
We should support this. Encourage other artists to try the album/film. Florence Welch did this in the mid 2010s. It was so satisfying like, I can't go back to the exact MTV music video days i enjoyed as a child, but albums paired with short films is like the next big think. Glad you liked it.
Jared Allen watched this with my dad, it’s really one of the most beautiful films I’ve seen in my 12 years on this planet. I absolutely adore this, the music and visuals are amazing. As natalee said, I also want there to be more artists/videos like this. For another great music video I recommend ‘Kevin Morby-Oh My God film’. ua-cam.com/video/eMJ94oGi6D8/v-deo.html Have a great day!
That reminds me how beautiful is to be alive and go through this journey. I guess The National wanted to give that to us for years and now found a way to do. This visual album will mean something very different to me as life continues to pass.
Edjackson Marques w.
I wish I could see the same way. I only felt so much sadness all around and inside
Now I’m crying, that was beautiful
so am I now
The end just caught me slipping
That was one of the most deeply beautiful, and cohesively creative works of art I've ever experienced. As much as I did enjoy it, I am however very grateful that I was able to watch it alone; in the privacy of my home. There's no way that I would have been able to hold in all of the emotion that came out on it's own. I was the child, the mother, the daughter, in a small way-the wife, and then the mother again. To have the essence of the spirit captured this way is profoundly magnificent. Now I really can't wait for the album! It makes me wish I had someone special to see them live with.
this hit me hard. Specially the last part when u mentioned someone special
For me, it was when she found out her mother died - that hit me so hard, as I found out my mother died via similar circumstances.
I wished to see them live with someone special as well, and then I went to their concert alone. I havent felt alone for a minute, they radiate all the distance their music reaches with fulfilling energy. Go alone, youll find more than you expect.
GameplaysGusGamer
Sue June
I was crying by the time she started dreaming of her mother dancing. It’s so strange watching a person live a whole life in brief captions, it reduces so much to just a few lines and yet it feels like I have really watched an entire, full and complex life. So beautiful, smart and of course, what a soundtrack. Incredible. Alicia is just perfection here.
My friend showed me this whole thing at a party. I requested it every night after. We were in Atlantic City and we were drinking New Jersey tequila
Everytime I watch this I cry. Thank you for creating this wonderful film.
Cried. Art. Amazing.
But I'm learning to lie here in the quiet light
While I watch the sky go from black to grey
Learning how not to die inside a little every time
I think about you and wonder if you are awake
At first I wasn't enjoying her playing the child under two years of age but then it started to make sense to have her entire life as one ageless person because it gives me a new perspective when thinking about my kids who are not teenagers. Applaud this short film and Mike Mills and The National are a great marriage!
I‘ve now watched the film five times and it feels like I have lived through the ups and downs of five lifetimes in two days.
The greatest thing about this short film is showing us that no matter where you’re from, every single one of us/every single human being goes through these emotions through these steps we call life. It’s all in the process of us figuring ourselves out. It’s the beautiful thing that I think some of us forget to do and just enjoy and embrace- LIFE ❤️
Feeling, big, small, scared, at ease
i cried.
the awareness of being alive can be very emotional.
I found myself soaked in tears by the end of this film. So beautiful. So poignant. This is a true masterpiece.
2021 and I still cry like a baby everytime i watch this
0:26 - 1:02 Quiet Light
1:03 - 1:40 Unrealeased song
1:47 - 2:18 Quiet Light
2:19 - 3:18 The Pull of You
3:36 - 6:54 Oblivions
7:03 - 9:33 Rylan
9:33 - 9:58 (humming) I Am Easy To Find
10:00 - 10:28 Unreleased song / 10:30 - 11:15 Quiet Light / 11:16 - 12:00 Unreleased song / 11:41 - 12:06 Oblivions
12:20 - 16:20 So Far So Fast
16:22 - 16:54 Rylan
17:38 - 20:40 I am Easy to Find
20:40 - 22:54 Oblivions
Credits: Light Years
All the bits you marked as unreleased are still Quiet Light
We need this version of Quiet light as the air to breath
Just thank you. ❤
What a beautiful film by Mike Mills & The National on humanity. Doesn’t matter what race or country one lives in. We all have the same aspirations, joy, turmoil and experiences in life set in different context but likely the same beautifully portrayed by Alicia Vikander.
This made me remember of things I had forgotten about a long time ago
YES! that hurts me so so os much ouch
I was crying the whole way through, and I’m still crying. Deep down, I’ve always wished more than anything else that I could’ve been born a girl. Seeing the complete life of this girl, through all the happiness, pain, joy, confusion, and fear, all I could think about was how I would’ve given anything to have that, to have any of it. I would’ve taken the good with the bad. And maybe I am that girl and _this_ is my pain to carry, but why does it have to be _so painful?_ Is this what life is? To see the missing and broken parts of yourself given freely to others, trying to regrow just to keep your body standing?
If anyone reads this, thank you for listening. I'm not trying to make people feel sorry for me, I just really needed to say this. I guess it's easier to talk to no one than to someone, regardless of who might be listening.
Thank you also to The National for the incredible music and to everyone who helped create this beautiful film. I can't believe I hadn't seen it earlier.
❤️
I called my mom inmediatly. Touching.
Discovered during the 2020 lockdown (who even remembers which one). I keep returning to this film every few months. It moves my soul, it reminds me of my own mortality and of the beauty of life. It makes me feel vulnerable to the bone and at the same time reassures me, saying "it's ok, you'll be fine, everything will be fine"
I am crying in my bed. I watched this film and I am crying. I feel the solitude of this life, on my shoulders...
Alicia in a timeless dance through time. The National doing what they do best - capturing emotion. Bravo and thank you!
"All the glory of it all was lost on me, till I saw how hard it'd be to reach you"
I can't rewatch this and not cry, it gets me every time, so amazing, so beautiful
This is my favorite video ever. It's passed more than a year since The National published it and I'm still playing it like every week, unbelievable.
Alicia Vikander is a blessing. She is the most incredible actress in this world.
This is so hauntingly beautiful and sad yet so normal...The circle of life
i was supposed to be writing an essay but i watched this instead and now im sobbing super hard at 1am
could you finally write your essay?
unlike anything we've ever seen, can't wait for the album to drop!
I watched this while rocking my 2 month old daughter to sleep. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. So good
This is nothing short of a masterpiece, and anyone with an ounce of humanity should have tears down their face by the end of it
OMG !!! This is art at its purest. The amazing and talented Alicia Vikander portraying a story of a lifetime beyond acting but embracing the moment and age of the character with moves, gestures, and looks. Magnificent work. Congrats to the writer and director Mike Mills for this piece, the way you convey the storyline to sentences and colors, the whole narrative in scenes, and thank you for choosing Alicia for the job. Besides, I just discovered the band The National because of Taylor Swift's new album, but I have felt in love with the songs. Love this short film !
one human lifetime in 27 minutes yet still feeling complete, now thats talent
It really hit me: we spend most of our lives alone, so why not spend it with those we love as much as we can? I haven't watched such a wonderful piece of art in such a long time. Thank God for the internet.
Saw this live at Beacon Theater in NYC. Stunning, rapturous encapsulation of a life set to the soundtrack of life itself.
Grateful they released it, since they said the film version of the songs are different than the album version, and the film versions are incredible as they are. Thanks to Mike Mills and The National.
i love how this movie could potray a woman in all aspect of her life, from birth to death and covering her struggles, flaws, achievements, sexuality in such a poignant and honest way... i'm grateful that the national did this, i really do :")
this made me feel more alone and afraid of the future than never but I love it
I have always found The National the most cinematic sounding band out there so this is really special to have access to. I hope to have one of their tracks in a film I make one day.
Light years is my second favorite song by the national, after pink rabbits. But I have to emotionally prepare myself to listen to light years and have time after to recover, and when I comes on unexpectedly my first thought is "oh shit..."
Isn't life just so complex but amazing, so much emotion in 25 mins. This is music, art and it made me well up but in a good way. The new album is brilliant, I am easy to find, is such an emotional and personal song to me, my favourite on the album.
Agreed
Featured songs: Quiet Light, The Pull of You, Oblivions, Rylan, I Am Easy To Find, Light Years
So Far So Fast was in there too (parts of it, at least).
Do you know if the version of Rylan in the video will be the final one?
Eduardo Nuñez No, the album version is mostly Matt singing!
I Am Easy to Find sounds amazing
matt mendez - I wonder about the lyrical changes however?
After reading the vulture article about Folklore and hearing how Taylor inpacted that movie I started to watch it. No doubt now I can completely understand her. I cant really watch the whole thing cuz its so emotional. Everyone should take a look at this masterpiece🧡
samee tayyyu
Probably one of my favorite pieces of art at the moment. Means so much to me. Thank you Mike Mills, Alicia vikander and the national
I don’t think this could be any more perfect
hi
Oh, i shouldn't have watched this on the train home. The person across the aisle asked if i am alright, seeing my tears. "I am fine...and thanks"
back here again with my newborn child named rilania. Thank you The National for the Rylan song. very inspiring
Well, I wasn't expecting to cry.
This film is so beautiful. Alicia is wonderful playing someone from the cradle to the grave. It certainly made me think about my life. And all the people i have lost and will loose. It made me cry, but with a sense of hope, thank you to all involved.
To witness an entire life within half an hour, indescribable. The National is without a doubt one of the most incredible bands of our time
The beauty of simplicity. It's so touching and makes you think about your life but in slow motion . (Alicia Vikander is so incredible)
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Edit: That was beyond beautiful. I'm in tears...
Perfect ending....😍 The last frame... The sky, and clouds and trees... And then... The piano of Light Years❤️❤️❤️
Wow was not ready for this. Cinematography is incredible
From Portugal. I have listened this master piece more than 1000 times and never is enough!
Same here, from Mexico
I'm crying like a baby here. Beautiful
A hermetically sealed space, sparse and uncluttered and anachronistic. It is the absence of things which resonate here, both materially, and in the narrative of her unremarkable life. Loss, she never dances, trauma, mute. The music reflects this anxiety, the memories, which perhaps are reliable or not. This is The National allowing more space, silence to be permitted to grow and illuminate their compositions. The hopeless romantic sings as bereaved of hope as is she. Beguiled then, lyrics fly around her and resonate with the terse blocks of colour and factual storytelling. This dichotomy, between the presence of a world, and a slightly eerie imagined one, where technology is rarely seen and is reminiscent of Shirley Jackson, and her inimitable stories. The film and music touch the luminal, the space between life and death, and succeed beautifully. It is profound, painful, and deeply memorable. Congratulations to all involved, a wonderful piece of work.
Just found this... and can't find the words to describe how i feel after seeing it. The best i can do is to say thank you. Thank you for this.
Alicia, is a National Treasure, for Me, as a Swede. I never Heard off this BAND!!! OMG!! Best Music Ever!! Sooo Deep, emptional, artistic, just Brilliant!!! I wept like a Baby! :-)
Mikael Stenlund Welcome to The National, greatly enjoy your stay and remember the new album comes out Friday with the music featured in this movie plus more
Only a couple of things make me cry. This is one of those few things
The Circle of Life, this was beautiful indeed. From Zimbabwe with Love 🇿🇼
This touched me in a way only this band could ever do. I cried so hard and I’m feeling so thankful for what I have. I can relate to her in every possible level. Loved this.
It's amazing. It made me feel our life's just a sad story
but it is. the thing is you must have valuable things in your life such as ppl you love or things you love to do to reduce the sadness and the nostalgia
I turned 27 yesterday and this being uploaded is by far one of my favourite memories from it.
Lumpy Space Pug This album comes out on my birthday, goooodness
@@nileshollowthorn I'm flying to Paris on Friday so I'll be downloading it for the plane over 👍
Lumpy Space Pug Have an amazing time in Paris and let’s see if its their best album yet!
@@nileshollowthorn thanks mate, girlfriends 30th Sunday so nice surprise for her and then I'll be off to see The National in July + December, if you havent seen them then you're missing out big time, one of my favourite live acts, they did a tribute to Scott Hutchinson from Frightened Rabbit in London last year and they're also one of my favourite bands x
Lumpy Space Pug Oh I’ve seen them alright. One of my favorites.
Well that was a bit heavy for a Monday morning at work hah! This is really fucking beautiful, and touching.
stonedhedgehog13 lol what type of job do you have that you can watch a 30 minute short film and pay attention to it?
@@tommasosilvestro A good one.
@@SwampS0n made me cry so much
The National always manage to tell such human stories through their music, here they've beautifully brought that storytelling to film. This has moved me. I can not wait to listen to the full record this Friday.
The music, the performance, the cinematography, the story. This is art at its finest.
I listened to the album on repeat since it was released, but didn't see the film until now. Seeing how the songs were used--same and different--made it feel like I was seeing an old friend in a new light. Both the film (acting and direction) and music are lovely and a treasure.
landed here 2 years later based on a recommendation and is just beautiful 🖤. Makes you feel so may emotions all at once.
don't know how much i cried in the end, all i know is that i watched a masterpiece.
tysm the national, i'm just sending lots of loveee 💜
WOW JUST WOW I JUST CANT EXPLAIN THE FEELING I’M FEELING NOW WHAT IS THIS THIS IS TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR THIS WORLD WE DONT DESERVE THIS THANK YOU SO MUCH THE NATIONAL AND ALICIA VIKANDER FOR MAKING ME CRY LIKE A BABY THANK YOU FOR THIS RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE NOW I KNOW THAT IM STILL HUMAN
2 years later and this is still one of the greatest films of all time despite it being a short film
A lifetime, like a mirror offered to each one, with benevolence. Arts in many forms. The essential in a few words.
I'm speechless and deeply touched
One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen .. all the small and big moments that is life, emotion, all captured in less than half an hour - a stunning film and a breathtaking soundtrack..
That was gorgeous and heartbreaking and wonderful and charming and everything I wanted to be yet somehow even more, bravo to everyone involved with the film and the music, It's been at least 25 minutes since I finished the film and I Still feel like I'm going to cry
Truly Beautiful, Bravo to everyone involved. It makes me feel big, small, scared, at ease.
A stunningly poignant work of art... I’m speechless
Thank you The National. Thank you Mike Mills. Thank you Alicia Vikander. This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen
crying. beautiful as always, mike mills
This was beautifully heavy. You want it to crush you and it does. Wow.
Okay, I just cried my eyes out. Thanks for that. Alicia Vikander is gold.
So beautiful. Moved to tears.
Absolutely beautiful. Damn. The National just know how to pull on every single heartstring with precision
The life is a vicious cycle ... We born, live, die and relive again the same life in different form... We relive the moments that our father, grandfather, mother have once lived!! Our existence never ceases.. It continues and continues.. We live immortal and always feel mortal!!
In the beginning I saw the character as myself. I could relate to a lot of things and especially the school/university stage because that's the stage I'm at right now. Then after that I still saw my future. But slowly,I don't know when, I didn't see myself in her anymore. Instead I saw my mother which made me cry even more. I often think I know so much about life, but this film made me look at my life and my mother completely differently.
fell u bro
I thought about my grandmother and my mother, but I thought that my life had followed another path than theirs.
It's over, I'm just sitting here.... tears in my eyes at the end. powerful. beautiful. universal.
Same here...
Ive been waiting to watch it again. Loved it so much at the orpheum