A study of an Artwork
Film, 2022
What the Wise Awakens To” (currently in post-production) is a short animation film created from individually hand-painted frames.
The film explores the concept of awakening, drawing inspiration from the famous allegory of the cave in Plato's Republic. This archetypal story shares similarities with other myths and narratives on the same theme, such as the life of Buddha from the East. Both stories begin in carefully constructed realities: Plato's protagonist lives in a cave where only selected shadows are seen, while Buddha's early life is curated by his father to shield him from witnessing hunger, illness, and death.
The stories diverge in what the protagonists awaken to. In Plato's allegory, the protagonist leaves the cave to experience the splendor of the real world—a radically better reality. Conversely, Buddha awakens to the suffering inherent in life. The film's central theme lies in this contrast: what the knower awakens to.
What The Wise Awakens To // Poster