David OReilly: The External World

This Irish born, Berlin-based animator has accumulated a lot of fans over the years with his work such as 2009’s award winning “Please Say Something”, 2008’s bizarrely engaging child-like animation “Octocat”, and his breakthrough 2006 piece “WOFL2106”. Getting a cult following for his animated work, David OReilly now returns with his latest offering “The External World”.

After being premiered at the 67th Venice Film Festival, it’s such a joy to see this online. Bursting to the brim with ideas, it’s a tour-de-force of comedy script writing, timing, and well placed technical ability.

Having been lucky enough to catch OReilly’s Talkshow with Fons Schiedon at Holland’s fantastic Playgrounds Festival, I can see OReilly’s quick-fire comedy influences clearly at play here (Adult Swim’s Xavier: Renegade Angel springs to mind). But, like any well used influence, OReilly has spring-boarded off these shows to create his very own dark, twisted world.

What I was left with after watching this piece was the renewed sense of why I fell in love with animation in the first place… the sense that anything is possible, given time, energy and talent. You can create a world where you’re able to let you imagination come alive, without boundary.

It’s the pure dedication to applying this principle that makes OReilly such a unique and truly inspirational animator and film maker, and, for me, “The External World” cements OReilly’s place as one of the most exciting talents in animation in the world at the moment.

Credits

This has been amended since original posting -ML

25 Comments

theCursiveL

Finally.
This some inspired “stuff”…
Thanks for the post.

col

There are some fun scenes. But I can’t help it to think that David O’Reilly is coming from the 4Chan generation.

17 minutes of pretty much constant vulgarity and violence and the rest is some heavily Ware inspired stuff.

Does he deserve the praise? Sure why not.

Hype? A little too much.

Jens

I like the characters, look animation etc but, I don’t get it, does someone know what this is about?

bencanfield

ltr: “A boy learns to play the piano.”

boatfisher

its about gay bambino diaper silicone menthos rehab pellets which actually involve lovely affairs in the kings castle from the ‘fictional’ place called america.

dunkwun

this is one of the most exciting things ive seen in a really long time. so glad he finally put it out there.

Ronny T

wow, i really couldnt watch in one session, its so hard to swallow. but i like the way he pickes up problems in the modern world. and finally i see a lot of this stuff when i walk trough the streets.

but, damn. its so close to the borderline…

:)

zeflint

just great…

oeuf

I’ve always seen O’Reilly’s stuff as being heavily ‘inspired’ by Chris Ware’s Acme Novelty Library, both in atmosphere and dark tone.
Homage, inspired or rip? Discuss.

bombsfall

If you start pointing out people who have been heavily inspired by Ware, you’re going to run out of fingers pretty quickly.

oeuf

‘Heavily inspired’

griff

Whats the criticism?
I’d suggest Chris Ware is one of a million influences upfront and bold in this piece, including influences he’s referenced that Ware himself draws from. It’s a simplistic argument that tries to undermine a little film that has more ideas, flare, daring and irreverence than anything I’ve seen in an age, and with all achieved with both a sense of intense attention to detail, planning and care, but also an apparent spontaneity that’s very rare and extremely hard to pull off.
The style and palette of a couple of sequences compare to Ware, but to shrug it off for that reason does it a great disservice.
Don’t get me wrong – the films very derivative and overly oblique – but its also astounding and pretty exciting.

Bran Dougherty-Johnson

Anything IS possible. Love it.

Aaron B

This piece is absolutely astonishing. The psychosis alone could entertain me endlessly.

tomorrowisclosed

even a clown would like this.

schwarzgrau

did the sheep finally eat that melon?

GS80

Really sinister & I love it.

ochyming

Clever social commentaries … Check!
Clever treatment of violence … Check!
Intelligent use of visual narrative … Check!
F*** Clever use of humor … Check!

Applause!
Applause!
Applause!
Applause!

It is a OReilly’s medley.

1angryDwarf

I should’ve “pre-screened” this before I let my 7 year old see it….. he asked me what does “Go FUCK yourself” mean right after I hit the panic button and shut it off.
Thanks alot.

ugl

At least he didn’t ask you to explain tantric suicide or the scenes of brutal death you were okay with him viewing before freaking out about “fuck”.

Don’t worry it’s just animation, it doesn’t have any real effect on people.

1angryDwarf

yeah i guess i could tell something was not quite right when a penis came out of the fax machine….. and sure, it DOES have an effect on people. were you just pulling my leg right? duh.

ochyming

Looks like you lost an opportunity to tell yr child that art is a motherf*** because it makes you think.

Art main purpose ( fx ) is to f***up “your” mind in a sophisticated way.

If Luis Buñuel and David Lynch can use the same narrative “shock” why not OReilly?

1angryDwarf

No I agree, I guess it would’ve been nice to see a “warning label” first – like motionographer has done in the past….. (not appropriate to view at work) get me drift holmes?

I love the style and animation myself.

Keep F**king up your mind kids. :)

diaghe

Sheer Genius.
Inspired me to remember anything is possible with animation again.

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