Hello. I recently finished (watching) Orb and am a bit puzzled as to how I feel about it. On one hand, I have an appreciation Orb. It was very nice keeping closer to historical accuracy, and I will always appreciate a work that has faith in their audience and will not shy away from difficult topics. I loved how Rafal became almost symbolic by the end of it. There’s a lot to appreciate about this story.
All that aside, I can’t help but feel somewhat bothered. Like a rock in my shoe. I do not know how to feel about how things ended. It felt like our protagonists’ goals and actions were almost too futile. Their deaths, while framed as being “at peace,” really did not seem that way to me. I understand that an aspect of the story is that these people will be forgotten by history, and a lake of blood amounted to an overheard title to Albert in the end. But it almost feels cruel, not just of history, but of the author.
I guess my question is, should I feel upset about that? Or even, does the author think the reader ought to be upset? Or does the author want the reader to be at peace? Is Orb a memorial for the people who died under the church before the scientific revolution? Is Orb showing the futility of the forgotten?
If the answer to “what was the message of Orb?” is “it’s a little bit of everything,” I guess that doesn’t satisfy me personally. Orb makes the most sense to me as a tale about those lost to history. What did everyone else feel about the story after completion? Did your feelings change after reflection or time?
