"My child is fine" Your child found a better family in a fast food advertisement.

The grandpa: has terrible lungs Also grandpa: sings a banger song

It's horrifying how only a billboard with an advertisement about burgers is the only thing keeping Opal from the harsh reality.

The mother almost admits she did something wrong but she realized and stops

“There she is” “That’s my girl” “𝚑𝚒 𝚘𝚙𝚊𝚕“

It's so depressing that she doesn't come up with a good line in her imagination, instead of "we love you opal!" It's just "we see you opal" she wants the bare minimum

Opal dancing with the burger at first was funny, but after watching the video it gets recontextualised with a whole new layer of sad

The father comments on Opal’s ankles, saying he’s glad that he doesn’t have them. The same ankles that Opal’s mother seems to regularly grab. Seems to me like the father commented on her bruises, but I can’t decide if he realizes they are bruises or not. Additionally, we see the mother throw the father around in her music number, followed by someone frantically using a phone. It’s implied that the mother beat the father, likely to the point that it scarred him, and that it’s likely Opal that called the emergency services.

Jack Stauber fans: Ah, the usual Adult Swim fans: Ah, the usual

i can't believe that jack voiced every single character in this short. it's kind of obvious, but it's weird to think about.

It hits so close to home when all her imaginary family really said was "We see you", "There she is" or, "Hi, Opal"- not even an "I love you" or a "I'm proud of you". and seeing Claire literally fantasizing over her own grandfather saying "hi" to her unlocked some childhood memories that were... not fun to revisit. it really shows that Claire's real family is so incapable of love and compassion towards her that the peak of her ambitions is just to be acknowledged by her family members. It's genuinely mind boggling to me how Jack Stauber can convey so much trauma and emotion in these short films or musical numbers- especially the little details, such as how the drunk mom claimed that Claire was "A miracle", but appeared to try to beat her after. and the line, "You and I don't live, Claire. We Survive." genuinely sounds like something a drug addict would say. The other detail of the father shifting the mirrors away from Claire when she entered really shattered me, because that's what a lot of my family did to my little sister and I when we were in desperate need of comfort or attention. Something else I noticed was how clearly Claire looked up to "Opal" (The girl in the commercial)- even wearing similar clothes and styling her hair the same way- it shows how Claire admires the girl in the commercial and how badly she wants to be her.

If you pause it at 11:09 you can see the dads actual face. It’s rather sad when we see Opal leaving the house. At first we think it’s because she is convincing herself to check out the house, but with what we know, its her deciding if she should stay longer or return home. Also, in her make believe house it’s 1 story which is implying a sense of togetherness and welcoming as everyone wanting to be with each other. This is juxtaposed by her actual house where it’s 3 stories with each floor/room feeling disconnected and separated, each member is occupying their respected floor/room lives in their own world completely separate from the others.

Someone pointed out a heartbreaking fact that in her fantasized opening Claire is so starved she can't even imagine what a hamburger tastes like, which is why she just dances on the plate, because she doesn't know what to do with it.

the most disturbing part is that so many kids grow up like this. escaping into a fantasy world where everything is normal, scared of their reality at home and scared of being like the rest of their family

I always find myself coming back to this from time to time. As a victim of severe abuse myself, this short is extremely comforting to me and makes me feel safe in a bizarre way.

As a survivor of abuse by my biological father, it’s extremely strange that my entire childhood felt and seemed just like this short film, the sounds, colors everything was just like this. Wow that’s insane

My boyfriend pointed out that when Claire looks to her window and white lace comes out its symbolic as losing her innocence. White lace represents purity and innocence and its literally flying out the window

Tbh when I heard the mother say “I forgive every one of you, every night. It’s a virtuous cycle.” It hit too close to home because lots of mothers think of themselves as saviors just because they brought a child into this world, even if they verbally and physically abuse that child. They think they are entitled to love and respect just because they think of themselves as a savior. My mom acts like that all the time so that scene really resonated with me.

This is so well detailed. There is more to the story wherever you look. The line "Hi opal" by the grandfather shows that all she wants is her grandfather to say something as simple as hi, and that gets her excited enough to have it in her hallucinations. There is stories on the other charecters, like how the narcicist had some problems in the past that made him this way. She doesn't dream of being loved, just recognised, that's because being recognised is the highest form of love she can comprehend

Jack Stauber’s depiction of Claire’s mother is horrifyingly accurate to my father who abused phent and xanax. He would be so far gone that his eyes would roll around his head when he would speak to me. He’d talk to me like everything was fine and he was happy and he cared about me and needed me. And then shortly after that he would completely switch and do whatever he could to terrify me and blame me for everything. I love this short film not because it’s morbid, but because it helps remind me that the weight of my family was never my fault, and that I was just like Claire. Just a child who needed care and instead was forced to care.

The fact that Claire has never had a burger before and ends up dancing around it because she doesnt understand what you're supposed to do with it is heartbreaking

None of the caregivers are better than the other. The grandfather is so lost in his addiction to cigarettes that he keeps deteriorating his health. No matter how much Claire tries to help, he doesn’t recognize it or even recognize her. He rather be eaten up by fate and delusions of TV freedom than change for himself or even Claire’s sake. He is obviously going into a dissociative state from old age and the damage of smoking. He throws an insult to her “They’re much more interested in me than anything you have going on”. He is choosing himself and his escapism over her. The father is a blatant narcissistic man who only looks at himself and his issues as well. He insults Claire, telling her he wouldn’t want to have her ankles. This probably implies he belittles her a lot for her appearance to make himself look better. He is very erratic and changes moods consistently throughout. His dialogue implies that he puts guilt on Claire all the time for getting tired of listening to his rambling: “You know how this makes me feel!!”. Mother is obviously a pill head and a drunk. She speaks in holy patterns, maybe a past Christian of some sort. Her brain is scrambled like eggs and wants the support of Claire so badly. She seems to physically go after Claire. Her song implies she wants Claire to hold her hair for her when she is sick, coddle her, and take care of her self-destructive bouts. Those are all things a mother should do. Claire is too young to assist with this properly and what Mother says is very manipulative. All of them say things that are. They are all clouded by themselves and their own personal escapism which is killing them slowly in the end. Each one is just as abusive as the other in different ways and damaging to Claire, as she is afraid of all of them or unnerved by them no matter what scene. They all have bursts of anger that translate to trauma for Claire. The house is haunted, but not by ghosts. It’s haunted by humans who are husks of who they once were, and Claire unfortunately has to be the one to take the blows from it. You could interpret the ending as Claire realizing she is either just like them with her escapism or realizing that she is their eternal crutch and has no physical ending to this suffering. Either one requires a scream like the one at the end. The billboard family represents what Claire wants. Claire wants to be seen by her grandpa: “Hi Opal!!” Claire wants to be complimented by her father: “Thatt-a girl!” Claire wants security from her mother: “Go on, you can do it!” All the things they want from other sources. And Claire is just the crying little girl in the attic, part of this dysfunctional family, making haunting melodies from the inside. She can hear herself and is drawn into reality from it.

Fun Fact: The reason why 11:30 sounds better than 1:00 is because the vocals for the father, mother, and grandpa have changed to Claire's real family, which is drastically different than the generic vocals from the start

Claire - Clear Opal - Opaque She just wants to feel seen. :(

None of them can see her. The grandpa is blind, the mirror man is too obsessed with himself, and the mother's vision is too poor to see her. When she is in her fantasy dreamland, they say "We see you, Opal". She just wants to be seen.

The Mirror Man was the only person that didn’t call her Claire because he’s too focused on himself

I just realized opals fake parents telling her to not look at the house is probably her telling herself to try and ignore all the abuse she faces 😢

i think it's foreshadowing how the fake family sings "and in our eyes you'll stay" implying that Claire will have to stay in her abusive house being watched by the eyes of her fake family in the billboard with no escape. it's also foreshadowing in the aspect that the fake family is the only one who truly sees claire/opal, so they can guarentee that in their eyes she'll stay because her real "family" doesn't see her nor cares to try. truly heartbreaking but amazingly accurate portrayal of abusive households

Claire = Clear, it's reality. Opal = opaque, it's her dream

imagine being the kid up at midnight and seeing this on the tv

Another interesting thing i havent seen people talk about: is we know the "happy family" is in her mind. In the beginning we see her notice the house for the first time and the dad begins to sweat nervously. The room gets darker as Opal loses focus on "whats in front of her." It isnt until the curtains are closed and the dad distracts her it becomes colorful again and the house is forgotten for the moment. This to me indicates the brain genuinely panicking at the reminder of the house. You begin to disassociate not really "at will" but when the brain NEEDS time to protect itself - to calm down and try to survive. Opal is in such terrible living conditions that her brain *struggled* to keep her in a delusion just to protect itself. Another interesting thing for me is the very intro - you see the objects surrounding the abuse but its still relaxed and then SUDDENLY the music is loud - makes you panic and personally gave me anxiety. - to me this indicates Opal just existing in the house and then suddenly being demanded to give her attention to somewhere and how normal this is. This could even just be her taking her trip outside trying to get passed everything like on her way back inside. Anyway. Great short. 10/10 wish i could send to my mom but she would never identify as any of these. But we know the truth. ;)

This hit a little too close to home man... jack must have been through it too. He painted such an accurate picture in his art. This is insane, i just keep coming back to watch it. In a weird way It really makes you feel like you're not alone. Jack deserves a raise. 👏

The reason her family says "we see you, opal" instead of something like "we love you, opal" is because she don't wants to be loved, at least the way her family does it. Her grandfather loves her, but only because she gives him his cigarretes. Her dad loves her, but only because she gives attention to him. And her mother loves her, because she uses her daughter as an escape of her horrible self. Opal has never seen true love, the only love she's ever experienced is toxic, crooked. She doesn't want to be loved, she wants to be seen as something else, not something that's just there to satisfy their awful addictions.

her escapist fantasy is living in a fast food advert because that's the closest she's seen to a happy and healthy life... bruh

The thing that's terrifying is how the imaginary family looks like the real family but more calm and not over obsessed or drunk or lazy

I worked with a kid at the Y a few years back who lied about his home life all the time. Made up family members, pets, and events. He was also obsessive about his interests. Most of his lies were based on these interests. “One time my brother said I was just like Superman because nothing could hurt me. He even shot me with a BB gun and I didn’t even feel it.” His guardian revealed he had no brother and his neighbor had a BB gun but he had never used one nor been shot. (These details are fabricated for the kids confidentiality but you get the idea). If he got stressed he’d shut down and stare at the superman comics that he brought with him everywhere. The bits of truth he did share about his home life hinted at significant trauma. He always reminded me of this short film and how Opal invented a fantasy world to cope and escape from her life. Other kids always got annoyed with him and his lies but my heart really broke for him and it enraged me that his parents really messed him up. A lot of people should not be allowed to be parents and I am a firm believer that licensing should be the new standard for the privilege to be a parent or caregiver. Too many kids are harmed by this culture to protect adults rights to procreate a child tear instead of trying to implement harm reduction by ensuring a stable and healthy home for kids. Removing kids from toxic homes isn’t good enough! Once the damage is done, removing them doesn’t heal them. We need to do more for our kids.

I like how a running theme is, she can’t be seen, not by the grandpa, nor the dad, or the mother in her drunken state, it’s a horrifying metaphor about her being used

The grandpa: *has lung problems* Also the grandpa: *sings a banger song*

at the end the house starts moving like it's chewing something. it's eating her alive.

As a daughter of a mom who made herself ill by smoking a pack of cigarettes a day and being constantly told that the only reason she had a daughter in the first place was so she could be taken care of forever. This hits me hard. In a why I am glad I wasn't the only one who had a family like this but I am mad that someone else had to suffer like I did.

I like how the grandpa and mother songs both seem to be spur-of-the-moment but the father's song is clearly prepared and recorded. It's a nice detail about what a narcissist he is.

“It’s evil to help people who don’t need help” is honestly the most interesting quote in this short film

During the narcissistic parent scene, I love how the parent turns the mirror to show Claire's ankles- its like hes showcasing her insecurity to make himself feel better. Because that is almost always the case with these kind of parents, they break their kids apart just to make themselves feel superior and better. Wow, the attention to detail is astonishing. Also, her mum basically parentified Claire, and her rmother has a sort of virtuous or good person demeanor, like shes making it seem like its not her fault, but rather shes the victim. A good detail is Claire's bedroom- its literally in the attic and has nothing but a messy bed which is on the floor which quite clearly shows neglect, because not only is it technically not the best bed (I mean its literally in the attic with absolutely no furniture or any other things.) the fact that its messy shows she wasnt taught how to properly make her bed, which just further explains how neglected she is. The details are astounding, and one of the best parts of Jack's films. Hats off to you, Mr. Stauber.

"There she is!" "That's my girl!" "H I O P A L!"

The dad is such a cool design, a man so narcissistic he can literally only see himself

The line “Hi, Opal!” really hits hard when you understand the context. Claire is fantasizing about her grandfather saying “hi” to her. And this is enough to get her excited. That is just horrifying.

Something that I’ve noticed is how when she has the burger in her imagination, she doesn’t really know what to do at first. Her family is encouraging her, but she still doesn’t really know what to do, so she just picks it up and dances. It shows how neglected she is and what an isolated life she’s living. She’s never seen a burger other than the billboard, so she has no clue what it is and what you do with it. I think that if the burger wasn’t even on the billboard, she would’ve probably made up what she thinks it is in her imagination.

Notice how when the grandpa screams it makes one of those train track sounds when a train is coming near. I also noticed how trains need SMOKE to power on just like the grandpa, which is maybe a little hint to why it makes that train track noise when he screams

the most terrifying part is: this story isn't exaggerated. It's extremely accurate

Something I haven't seen anyone point out yet is how in Claire's fantasy, Opal's house is one level. In reality, each party lives on their own floor and don't interact out of their narcissism; Claire wants her family to stop separating themselves.

Does anyone else notice how actually terrifying he looks when not seen through the mirrors. He flips it around for a split second in his segment, and hes terrifying. At 11:08

Claire's smile at the start of the vid was so precious, too bad she can't smile like that in her real home also do u guys wonder what would happen if her real family managed to enter the room at the end?

I JUST REALIZED: Claire's imaginary family members have rather creepy open eyes because they are giving their full attention, 110% of it, all to her. They have the same eyes as her as well: open, attentive, wanting to communicate and understand. Her imaginary family is one that *sees* her, which is emphasized by the character design. Jack is such a genius.

You know what’s even sadder? Eventually, the billboard is going to change into a new ad. Then what will she do?

This is a great representation of child neglect and parentifying your child. The beginning, she dances with the burger because she doesn't know what to do with it. A hint that she hasn't been fed (and why her body looks skinnier than the others) They say "that's my girl" "hi opal" etc because that's what Claire wishes her family would say Her father, the one with the mirrors, adjusts the mirrors so he doesn't have to look at her. He's focused too much on himself to take care of his daughter The mother, she struggles with addiction and the line "you and I don't live, we survive" implying that they aren't living in their house, merely surviving these terrible living conditions. The line "mama needs a little girl to land on" implying that the mom is too addicted to take care of herself and making her child take care of her. When 'opal' hears the music from the upstairs room, it signifies that she finds comfort in her own room instead of in her family. At 11:30 their family sings, "we see you opal" implying that she just wants her family to notice her as a daughter. Going back to the beginning, her walking looks almost as if she's tip toeing, that's a trauma response in not wanting to draw attention from toxic family members. Claire is seen running inside when the lights cone on, because she doesn't want to face the reality of her life. Claire deserves better, and so does anyone who has a similar experience or relates to Claire.

This deserves to be seen with no interruptions.A little sad they put a commercial break in it. I don’t mind before it starts

The idea that Claire is so malnourished that she doesn’t even understand what you’re meant to do with a hamburger, so she just starts dancing with it, is just really sad, yet also comedic at the same time.

The first time you watch this, the horror comes from the fact that you have no idea what could be in "that house across the street." The second time you watch it, the true horror sets in from knowing exactly what's in the house. The horror of a hopeless, inescapable reality.

This movie really hit hard for me. I genuinely spent 10 minutes crying- I somewhat relate to Claire in a non-extreme way, more emotionally. This really just goes to show that every child deserves a parent, but not every parent deserves to have a child. I really hope everyone's alright

I just noticed that right before Opal opens her eyes the "dad" is making the same face as the billboard

The father uses childish dialogue to describe himself. Growing small etc. he says I’m still growing why is everyone hard on me. He doesn’t talk about himself as an adult so he can avoid responsibility or accountability.

Claire lives as grandfather's eyes, father's mirror, and her mom's pills yet she craves for someone to see her as she is

One thing I haven’t noticed people talking about is the beginning sequence. It shows all the family member’s addictions. First are cigarettes and TV, indicating the grandpa. Then it’s a mirror, signifying the dad. The pills shows the mom. And, as soon as Opal arrives, the dad focuses his attention to her. I feel to Op in an emotional way. My parents aren’t abusive anymore, but the trauma is still there and like Opal, it’s eating me alive. I feel terrible for everyone like her and my heart reaches out to all of them

I did not have an abusive childhood like Claire but I did have a pretty traumatic one and just the way Jack captures maladaptive daydreaming here is so on point. Immersing yourself in a fantasy world where “your troubles are miles away” and completely forgetting what your reality is like until you’re out of your daydream state and it hits you this is your reality and not the fantasies you’ve created in your head to distract your mind from your realities. I love this short so much.

Other Grandpa: _Sings a jam._ Opal's Grandpa: *H I O P A L*

I just realized that the grandpa’s song is animated entirely digitally because he’s completely blind and that’s the only way he can visualize anything

Both of my parents were narcissists and this is so accurate. When she opens the door and feels "caught" is how you feel in a household like this, and persists years beyond. The maladaptive daydreaming to cope with your reality. No one truly seeing you and operating from pure shame. The elder generations who started the trauma living within the home once they get older. The covert narc mother lashing out physically on her children because she feels powerless against her narc partner. The grandiose narcissist shaming others and lifting up themselves. The complete disrespect of boundaries such as locking or shutting a door. The lack of any true connection let alone unconditional love. This is such a raw and terrifying portrayal of the reality and it still hits me just as hard as when I first saw it.

it hurts how i can relate to this in a way.

I both love and hate how realistic the alcoholic mother is. The way she acts, talks, everything hits too close to reality

"Momma needs a baby girl to hold her hair..." So Claire isn't just being neglected, she's being parentified. The fact she seems to be the only one "taking care" of Grandpa, and that shot of someone frantically dialing a phone number, adds to this theory. She has to take care of all these selfish adults who aren't taking care of her in return.

the mother has to be one of the scariest characters I've ever seen on screen

I’m not sure anyone noticed this but in the beginning celebration scene when she’s dancing with the hamburger and then YAY it’s in the same position as the sign.

The fact claire's hair is an attempt at pigtails but her hair is really just knotted that way is sad af

Considering the last thing Jack did for Adult Swim was essentially a lighthearted grocery store allegory for self-improvement, I didn't expect this one to rip my heart into pieces...

When "Opal" opens her eyes in the first scene, you can see that they have 4 bright lights. Her "family" had 4 bright lights on top of them, which are later obscured by burgers. These are the lights on the billboard. This is a beautiful hidden detail. Claire covers them with burgers so that she doesn't have to know that her desired family is a billboard.

11:09 if the pause is timed perfectly, one can more or less see her father's face for just a frame here and it is a terrifying reflection of what he has become with his narcissism.

The mom really hits hard for me. The way she talks about wanting to take care of a child really to only make herself feel better and how she objectifies the child is probably the most horrifying part for me

The mother manages to make everything about her. "you should be more considerate, but I forgive you" "I feel terrible" and "they never repent how I want them to." This is AMAZING writing of a manipulative character. She's saying these objectively cruel things in a way that positions herself as a victim and a martyr who is so incredibly kind, but helpless to change. The forgiveness line especially is a textbook tactic that manipulators use: she gets to present herself as the good guy while doing no emotional labour AND inflicting guilt and expressing that the person she's talking to is lesser. Amazing work as always from Jack. I'm really tempted to write a damn essay on this rather than just my little kneejerk response to the mother...

On the one hand this short is unsettling, on the other hand it's so well done I can't help but return to it

Another detail that’s always stuck with me is Jack specifically using a burger billboard as a way to escape her reality. Americans usually eat away their problems, falling for company’s aggressive marketing to promote unhealthy living, masking it as something comforting (especially aggressive marketing toward children in the 70s and 80s). When you’re this traumatized as a child, you’re especially vulnerable to manipulation, and her attachment to the billboard, burgers constantly shown in her fantasy sequence, and the line “your troubles are miles away” (word play with the restaurants slogan most likely) shows she correlates fast food with happiness. Poor Opal probably fell for this marketing trap, tanking any chances of her finding real help and living a mentally and physically healthy future.

Grandpa yelling at Opal is scary. Grandpa yelling at Claire, his own granddaughter, not recognizing her is terrifying

The really sad part is that when she imagines her perfect family singing to her, they don't even say "I love you." All they say is "I see you" and "hi, Opal." She can't even think about actually being loved. Her highest dream is just to be acknowledged.

Did anyone else like the detail in tje beginning when Opal opened her eyes making it like she entered her dream world and with the fathers face resembling the one she always sees on the billboard snapping into movement (0:48)

This is so triggering but oddly comforting. I never had grown up in an abusive household, and I’ve never been neglected that heavily, but I found this sort of relaxing and scary at the same time? I don’t even know, it’s like Jack Stauber can read the minds of traumatized children.

Interesting bit of symbolism here, maybe I'm reaching too far but: In her real house, she's only ever going up the stairs while she's running away from something. My guess that she associates running up the stairs with fleeing her family members to get to her "safe" place in the attic. In her dream house, it's a single story building, and her room is on the ground floor. She doesn't need to run from anyone, the entire house is her safe space.

minor detail about the grandpa’s song: the “girls” to him are just mouths on static bodies because he’s blind and only thinks of them as voices

2:50 My theory for what the sound is is that it’s meant to be Claire crying in her room as you can almost hear the sounds of a young girl crying in the background of the choir

The mirror man is me for real 😭

I also wanna point out the size of each character’s eyes. The imaginary family has big eyes making it easier to ‘see’ Claire, whereas her real family has small eyes in relation to Claire, not only meaning they don’t ‘see’ her as much but also creating a less innocent look for them. Perhaps Claire has big eyes because she wants to ‘see’ her family and to connect with them. Honestly this is one of the saddest yet best things Jack Stauber has created imo because there’s so much detail to pick apart

"Hey Claire, ever heard of CPS?"

When you realize she never even takes a bite of the burger because she can't imagine what it tastes like. She has no clue, just what it represents.

I think it’s interesting how Claire takes the name Opal in her fantasy family instead of her actual name. It shows how she literally cannot fathom anyone showing any interest in her. She has to be someone else to be able to feel loved.

"AW ITS CUTE" "oh its traumatized"

Just noticed that the poster lights are in opals eyes in the first we see you opal part. They foreshadowed this like 10 minutes earlier than we found out.

The mothers song ended before it started. She's literally that broken.

Opals family give her no attention. They can't see her, Her grandpa can’t see her because he is blind and obsessed with the tv, her dad is obsessed with himself and can’t see her because of the mirrors, and her mom is obsessed with alchohol and can’t see her because she’s drunk. The reason why she thinks of the Opals Burgers sign as her family is because they are the only ones who look at her, who can see her. Everyone has their escape from reality and opals is the burger sign.

You can tell that she is imagining the first part because the father's face (0:50) is the same face on the billboard, (10:44) before he clicks alive, signifying that she can only imagine him in her mind from the billboard.

This short film honestly brings back so much PTSD for me, or at least a lot of memories that I would rather forget. In a way, it's almost comforting, and this short film is very realistic in its show of an abusive household. Beautifully done and executed too :)). ( also poor Opal my little girl 😭 )

Has no one noticed that the fantasy-mom is encouraging Claire just by picking up a burger. saying things like "you can do it!" It really shows that Claire really wants her real mother to encourage her and show her attention for once even for the most simplest things

What's scary is that Claire wasn't in the wrong house, the grandpa couldn't identify Claire because she didn't say anything and smelled different. Of course it's sad that he can't help it, but it's also terrifying to realize Claire might experience this sort of thing often. A family member thinking you're a stranger and chasing after you sounds like a living nightmare to me as an adult, even more terrifying as a child.