The Short Film That Thrilled The World

“The present” is the short film that has been around the world in recent months. It has received more than 50 awards and has obtained more than 3 million views, and if it thrilled all those who spend a few minutes of their time to see this video, it is for the magnificent reflection it invites us to do on disability.

Talking about disability and the ability to overcome oneself is not easy. Yet,  with “The present”, we discover two characters that capture our heart instantly: a child and a dog. Jacob Frey, the young director, drew on Brazilian illustrator Fábio Coala’s comic “Perfeição” (Perfection) to bring his idea to fruition, and the result is as simple as it is wonderful.

The protagonist of this short film could be any of our children, a brother or a nephew, it doesn’t matter. A child who receives a gift in the moment of greatest need, “a present”: a puppy that lacks a paw …

The short film that has thrilled millions of people is about disability

The short begins with a black screen and the sound of machine guns. The second frame shows us a child immersed in the controls of a video game, away from reality and everything around him.

It is not an unknown image. Many of our children and adolescents spend their free moments with their video games and computers, “disconnected” from the world  around them to immerse themselves in those virtual scenarios.

The cathartic component, immediate gratification and isolation are the three basic elements that define the attachment to video games,  increasingly widespread in children and also in adults.

At one point, our protagonist receives a gift from his mother. That parent who passes by, and to whom the child hardly pays attention, leaves a mysterious box in front of him. When the boy opens the box, he finds a puppy in it: a cheerful and lively dog ​​that is missing a paw. The child, annoyed to see that feature, dismisses it with disdain.

That animal captures us in a few seconds:  disability, in many cases, is just a word and not a personal reality. If at first the boy “stigmatizes” him in seeing that deficiency, it does not take long to see that 

Overcoming yourself and friendship as fundamental elements

If you are careful, you will discover how, in just over 4 minutes, we are offered decisive brushstrokes of the personal reality of our protagonist and his “unexpected gift”. Windows closed in a messy living room and a child in a bad mood who reacts with a certain aggression in front of the news.

• The hermeticism and anger of adolescents are very relevant indicators of problems that exist below the surface  and that we cannot overlook.

• The distance that children and adolescents can establish from their parents always has limits. Requiring personal space and autonomy is not the same as “withdrawing into oneself” and into technologies as a defense mechanism.

• The mother of our protagonist,  as we will discover at the end , “knows” what is wrong with her son. For this reason, he has no doubts in giving him the best gift in the world: a friend, a very special companion with only three legs.

• The little puppy is a clear example of personal overcoming. Despite the boy badly putting it aside, the animal happily tries to find a ball, looking for an incentive to feel good about, so it captures the interest of its new owner.

In this short film that has thrilled young and old we see a dog with three legs that falls and gets up, stumbles and starts walking again. Still,  the most surprising thing comes in the finale,  when with his inner strength and 

, manages to accomplish another miracle that you cannot miss.

“The present”, the short film that has moved so many people, reveals that  when we have support like that of friendship, the difficulties can be seen from another point of view. Who knows, instead of closing in on ourselves, we should open up to the world and let it fill us with its values ​​and the people or animals that surround us …

It is just over four minutes that we invite you to discover, to see in the company of your children and, of course, to get excited like all of us.