Joy Story, The Magic Of Giving From The Heart

If we give from the heart, sooner or later we will receive with both hands. That’s what Joy Story , a beautiful short film, wants to remind us  . A little dog goes fishing with his master and collides with a somewhat annoying heron. What happens next is an example of kindness, affection and understanding.

In Joy Story we learn the value of solidarity, but also the powerful effect of giving from the heart: every good deed has a wonderful reward.

There are many productions of this type in circulation. Pixar, for example, often surprises us with its short stories that are sobering and always go straight to the heart. This short film is no exception. It is a Chinese production directed by Kyra Buschor, Constantin Paeplow and Kenneth Kua.

In addition to opening our window to solidarity, the creatives of Passion Pictures wanted to pay homage to China, where 2018 was the year of the dog. The protagonist of Joy Story , lasting about 4 minutes, is a puppy with a big nose, full of enthusiasm but also of suspicion.

This restless and suspicious attitude will crumble after the appearance of Heron, a nice heron, an animal that in oriental culture symbolizes goodness.

Joy Story : a fishing night with many surprises

This short film is silent, the magic of the looks, the power of faces rich in expressiveness, curiosity, restlessness, surprise and goodness speak for themselves. The only human character in history always remains behind, unaware of what is happening in his little boat and of which we are privileged witnesses.

Little Joy and his master are out at sea, preparing for a quiet night fishing. The sky is clear, the sea is calm, nothing seems to disturb what will be a peaceful day between the man and his puppy. The dog is festive, has sparkling eyes and his nose runs after everything. He knows perfectly well that he must be careful not to hinder his master’s fishing.

The encounter with a strange creature

Suddenly something happens. A strange, lanky creature enters the scene. It is Heron, a heron who stands on the edge of the small boat with a very specific objective: to take away the bait, to steal the plump worms. Little Joy, like a good faithful dog, does not hesitate for a moment: he has to prevent the theft and starts a fight with the heron to mess up his plan … but he can’t. Heron takes away a worm.

The scene repeats itself several times. The heron, always skilful and steadfast in his purpose, continues his forays to the appetizing basket of baits.

In each of these amusing tug-of-war, the puppy not only comes out defeated, but is punctually reprimanded by the owner who, as we have said, is not aware of what is happening. The latter, in fact, only perceives the movement of the boat.

Giving with the heart, a gesture in which everyone wins

Our puppy just does what he has been taught: protect what is his, defend his master. However, the ending of this story teaches us an important value. It is not good to give in the name of obvious ideas or motivations. The easy endings, stopping only at appearances is not always a winning choice.

The heron has a bizarre appearance, its figure certainly does not inspire confidence and even its behavior would seem incorrect, but … why does it steal the bait?

We all tend to draw easy conclusions, to be carried away by the impulse, as little Joy does. If we look around, however, we discover that beyond our little boat there is the world. We then realize that behind the appearances, the strange behaviors, there are people with different needs. Creatures that live beyond our mental frontiers built with stereotypes, labels and prejudices.

The heron, then, did not steal out of spite and the worms were not for her. The puppy understands this immediately and does not hesitate to open her heart, offering her all the worms from the basket. What happens after this wonderful (and supportive) act demonstrates how powerful the effects of generosity can be.

Let’s learn from Joy Story , this special short film. Let the cub and the heron teach us a precious life lesson, let’s not behave like the fisherman who does not perceive anything, who turns his back on the magical, unique and special life offers.