Madama Butterfly; an Animation by Pjotr Sapegin

This animation starts off on a positive note, showing the love Madama Butterfly and the American sailor have for each other. When he sails off, she loyally waits for his return, although the stormy weather and darker colors suggest a happy ending may not be in her future.

I loved how the baby that results from her union with the sailor starts off as a fish in a bowl that is her belly, because that symbolized the oceanic nature of the father's job as a sailor and I found it very creative. Unfortunately, Madama Butterfly's happiness is short-lived.

After her baby grows a little as time passes, her lover returns to the island at last, only to show up with another woman and snatch away the child. As the umbilical cord tying mother to child is severed by the sailor, I could sense Madama Butterfly's physical and emotional agony as she is separated from her lover and baby. The sailor drives away - just as he had stolen and broken her heart, he stole the child and broke the bond they could've had.

In her despair, Madama Butterfly rips off her skin and reveals her wire armature, reflecting the surge of raw emotion being brought to the surface, before deconstructing her individual metal pieces. I didn't expect her to actually destroy herself in such a manner, and watching her do so was both morbidly fascinating and almost frightening.

I was left feeling empty and sad once the animation ended, but immediately replaced those feelings with relief that I have such a loving family. This video will certainly stay with me, because the knowledge that Madama Butterfly's life ended in the hopeless, helpless way that it did is haunting, and Pjotr Sapegin portrayed that excellently.