After introducing the uncanny dreamscape of The Dying World with a short film at Annecy Film Festival last year, self-taught artist Lauren Tsai unveiled the project as part of her larger solo exhibition at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. While the installation concluded its run last November, Tsai has returned with a new collaboration alongside My Chemical Romance — a full-circle moment for the artist who as a kid created animated fan videos for the band’s songs.
The short film, Prelude to The End, continues the story of the character Astrid while also deepening the narrative of The Dying Word with new voices, additional characters, and settings. “It was an absolute dream to work on this project for The Black Parade and The Dying World,” said Tsai in a statement. “I deeply respect MCR and Gerard’s creative legacy. It has been an honor for him to find inspiration in a world that I’ve created, in the same way I have always admired the worlds that he has built throughout his career.”
Prelude to The End arrives on the heels of last Friday’s release of The Black Parade (20th Anniversary), the landmark rock opera by the Jersey pop-punkers that’s considered one of the most influential in the ever-evolving emo genre. The film will screen ahead of the final dates of the band’s five-night run at the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 30 and 31.
The collaboration between MCR and Tsai is soundtracked by the album’s first song, “The End.” The film follows Astrid as she navigates a peculiar New England boarding school overrun by trash. As the school’s authoratative bodies toss her cherished sketchbook down a chute, Astrid follows it into a world inhabited by forgotten ideas and runs into an old friend who appeared in her previous film, The Dying World Part One: Forgetting. According to a press release, the film “explores the relationships we all hold with our creations, youth and the unwavering determination to become and express our truth, the latter of which in particular is a key, recurring theme throughout My Chemical Romance’s catalog.”
In addition to Tsai providing the vocals for Astrid, Prelude to The End also features vocal contributions from Billie Eilish (Astrid’s friend), Phoebe Bridgers (Astrid’s sister), Hideo Kojima (“The Teacher”) and John C, McGinley (“The Dean”). The short also includes a live recording of Flying River, Violin Concerto by Pascal Dusapin, which was performed by Utopia Orchestra at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and conducted by Giuseppe Mengoli, with solo violin by Daniel Lozakovich.
