seekingferret: Two warning signs one above the other. 1) Falling Rocks. 2) Falling Rocs. (Default)
[personal profile] seekingferret
Hapiyut shel Harley Quinn / הפיוט של הארלי קווין (8 words) by seekingferret
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Harleen Quinzel
Characters: Harleen Quinzel, Cassandra Cain
Additional Tags: Fanvids
Summary:

Harley Quinn attempts Teshuvah. The good thing about Teshuvah being a process is that you can do it more than once.





I just premiered this vid at the Wiscon Vidparty. Apparently I am halfway through vidding the finalists for the Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation- Long Form. My vids for Soul and Eurovision will premiere, respectively, at Con.Txt and Vidukon. I still need to make vids for The Old Guard, Palm Springs, and Tenet.

Margot Robbie's performance as Harley Quinn in this movie is mesmerizing, she is the definition of anti-hero. She is so fragile, except when she has pivoted to have total control of the situation. She is so self-contained, except when she lets people in. And there seems to be a trajectory to her actions, not necessarily toward becoming a better person, but at least toward being more herself. I tried to imagine this trajectory in Jewish terms as something akin to, if not exactly comprising, a process of teshuva, and so, using the language of Jewish poet Leonard Cohen, I constructed Hapiyut shel Harley Quinn, the prayer-poem of Harley Quinn. The title positions it within the liturgical tradition of the medieval payetanim who wrote searing prayers of introspection and emotional self-evaluation.

[is Harley Quinn Jewish? She shoplifts Stella D'Oro cookies, obviously she's Jewish!]

At the same time, there is a more obvious throughline which inspired the song selection. Harley's progression is to become 'like a bird', as in like a Bird of Prey, an extra-legal agent of transformation trying to bend the arc toward justice instead of merely survival. And also to become 'like a bird' in the sense that Cohen imagines, beautiful and desperately trying to retain freedom. Harley's playful, childlike aesthetic is so much a storytelling part of the movie. The text that she scribes all over her body testifies to how she sees herself and how she wants to be seen.

I said in vidchat that this vidding process was a thesis statement in search of a thesis. I feel like my opening section is so devastatingly good that it makes up for some sloppiness later in the vid that's the result of my rushed process. But on the whole I'm really pleased with how this vid came out.

(no subject)

Date: 2021-05-31 10:54 am (UTC)
aurumcalendula: gold, blue, orange, and purple shapes on a black background (Default)
From: [personal profile] aurumcalendula
Ooh! I absolutely love this!

(no subject)

Date: 2021-05-31 01:44 pm (UTC)
liv: alternating calligraphed and modern letters (letters)
From: [personal profile] liv
I like this a lot though I don't know Harley Quinn canon except by general osmosis. Who is the cover artist singing the Cohen song, please?

(no subject)

Date: 2021-05-31 04:24 pm (UTC)
batdina: (Default)
From: [personal profile] batdina
[is Harley Quinn Jewish? She shoplifts Stella D'Oro cookies, obviously she's Jewish!]

I almost snorted coffee out my nose. Thank you for this lovely good morning!

(no subject)

Date: 2021-05-31 09:00 pm (UTC)
brainwane: My smiling face, including a small gold bindi (Default)
From: [personal profile] brainwane
I enjoyed this during the party, and look forward to enjoying it again after I've watched the film!

(no subject)

Date: 2021-05-31 10:40 pm (UTC)
grrlpup: yellow rose in sunlight (Default)
From: [personal profile] grrlpup
I liked that and now want to see the movie! :)

(no subject)

Date: 2021-06-01 12:46 am (UTC)
littlecatk: chest with coins. the coins show a star (Default)
From: [personal profile] littlecatk
Great video concept and end product.
thanks for making and sharing

(no subject)

Date: 2021-06-01 11:36 pm (UTC)
jesse_the_k: harbor seal's head captioned "seal of approval" (Approval)
From: [personal profile] jesse_the_k

My only exposure to her is through the 2019 Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass graphic novel, which I adored (mainly cause there was no Joker in it at all.)

You've created new canon for me that I will compare to the source you made magic with!

(no subject)

Date: 2021-06-02 04:09 pm (UTC)
lannamichaels: Astronaut Dale Gardner holds up For Sale sign after EVA. (Default)
From: [personal profile] lannamichaels
Excellent vid!

[is Harley Quinn Jewish? She shoplifts Stella D'Oro cookies, obviously she's Jewish!]

Um. *stares into her kitchen cabinet like she's on the office*

(no subject)

Date: 2021-06-02 04:27 pm (UTC)
lannamichaels: Astronaut Dale Gardner holds up For Sale sign after EVA. (Default)
From: [personal profile] lannamichaels
+1

Well, not in the knowing anything about Moonknight or other characters, but, uh, yeah. +1.

Profile

seekingferret: Two warning signs one above the other. 1) Falling Rocks. 2) Falling Rocs. (Default)
seekingferret

July 2025

S M T W T F S
  12345
67 89101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags