Dauphin 007

A lion, a crown, an eagle and medical devices are the characters in this absurd narrative. The protagonist of this story is a male lion, born as a Dauphin (or heir apparent to the throne of France). His power is symbolized by a golden/plastic-like crown closely resembling the Heraldic Crown of the Dauphin of France, which pervades every scene in the film. An unfortunate incident at a photo-shoot results in the young lion's demise as a black eagle, modeled after the ones appearing in heraldry, steals it away. Now bereft of his potential power, the lion resorts to what appears to be an almost suicidal decapitation via guillotine. This is a clear reference to the demise of Louis XVI, or prior to his regal name, Louis-Auguste the 25th Dauphin of France in 1765. The guillotine itself is part MRI machine, part Gothic structure. Much in the same way medical devices allow us to transcend our bodies and nature, the Lion's decapitated head does not fall dead to ground, but rather grows angel-like wings and flies upward away towards heaven. This scene is followed by a recovery where the headless lion is on IV. His insides are not flesh or organs but rather a regal fleur-de lis patterned fabric, which references the colour of the Dauphin's coat of arms. Adding insult to injury, the now crowned eagle swoops down and steals the IV away from the lion. The film finally culminates with a tragic yet epic death, as the lion slowly withers away under a towering plastic monstrosity of various medical devices. IV stands, surgery lights, respirators, x-ray machines all rotate in a kind of dance symbolizing the transcendence of corporeality into a plastic heaven-like realm. The denouement occurs as we catch a brief glimpse of the lion's head in a kind of after-life space, re-united with his crown. Heraldry is made flesh as the floating lions head is flanked by two supporters, whom are polar bears rigged out in royal CocaCola regalia.