First of all, the point of art is to express yourself. If you jump into any medium, that is what is happening. A person, or a team of persons, is expressing themselves. There are so many different ways to do this, but the way you do this with a story is by exploring something. This is key to my review, so I feel people need to have a short explanation of it. Some of the ways you can explore in a story are through characters, setting, and ideas. An idea story is a story that explores a specific idea. There is something that the author/artist wants to say, that they want to get across to the viewer.
This musical short is an idea story. The premise is set up immediately from the start. They show us her tablet and the fact that she hasn't received any messages for over 2000 days. Just from that short bit we know that we are exploring the idea of loneliness.
I don't need to explain to any of you why the visuals or sound is great. And those are more subjective. Story is subjective as well, but there are many ways that story can be done "properly" This short is a good example of how to set up a premise and deliver on that premise within a short period of time. There is only so much that you can explore within the span of 6 minutes, but this short manages to do it in a way that resonates with a lot of people.
Why does this sentiment resonate so well? Because most people have experienced loneliness in their lives. I hesitate to say that every person who ever lived has experienced it, because I find universal rules to be a bit too extreme, but I think it's safe to say the vast majority of people have experienced this. This short touches on that experience, shows what it is like to feel it, and makes us able to empathize with the girl in a very quick and easy to follow manner.
Now, the main premise of the story is one that is more subjective. But I personally find it very meaningful. At the mid-point we are shown various scenes of her discovering the world with her father. She seems to be rediscovering something that she had forgotten, and this is something many people can relate to. We all have people in our lives that brought us up, whether or not they did a good job. As she is watching the various scenes she realizes how much he went through to protect her and help her become who she is. Then in the final moments of the short we hear the main message. "You are never alone". You are never alone because everything you have gone through in your life, and through every experience you have been helped along by people who loved you. You are the culmination of that love and those experiences. By remembering the past love, even when you are lonely you feel a little bit better. You realize that there is hope.
This message may not reach everyone. It may not resonate completely. But the idea was explored, and it was done in a way that is deliberate and fitting, considering the amount of time they had to set it up and deliver. It was aided immensely by the beautiful art and the music behind it. But even without that the message of hope would resonate with those who are willing to hear it. That's why I think this short is great.
