In a Heartbeat

"In a Heartbeat" is a very unusual film. Two students from the Ringling College of Arts and Design, Esteban Bravo and Beth David, made this animated short as their final graduation project. That in and of itself is not unusual. However, when the short was released on YouTube, it received 20,000,000 hits in the first five days!! To this date, over 34,000,000 have watched the film. So, considering how popular the film was, as well as the quality of the project, it's odd that it was not nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the Oscar for Best Animated Short. In fact, it wasn't even included as one of the commended films when the animated shorts were shown in the weeks preceding the Oscars. I have no idea why it wasn't chosen...especially in light of how incredibly mediocre the actual nominees were.

The story itself is very simple and is told without words. A gay young man (I am guessing about Middle School age) is smitten with a classmate. To illustrate this, Bravo and David used a heart...a literal heart...to show the boy's intense feelings. And, like most intense feelings from teens, he's unable to control the heart...and it literally bursts from the boy's chest and begins chasing after the other boy. What's next? See the film.

The bottom line is that this film has spoken to a lot of people and it's very well made...so well made that I am anxious to see more from these bright young graduates.

An unique connection is established between two souls who decide to spend their human lives together. Such a feeling of love, knowing that someone cares and looks for you, is hard to equal. So, there is this search in life when we try to find our "soulmate", an experience worth remembering and cherishing. Everyone can love.

...or moving, or touching, or adorable. it is one of films remembering basic experiences and our reactions. two boys. and a heart. sweet humor and delicate way for translate a feeling so familiar and the answers so well known. provocative for theme, seductive for its subject, it is a joy to discover this adorable animation gem. for the right support. for memories and regrets and answers. so, a film about yourself. and not an ordinary one.

You have to watch it for yourself. This little, cute film shows that being gay, straight, and anything in between isn't just about sexual attraction. It's about romantic, love-attraction. I grew up in a small town where I often heard that "gay people only care about sex." This piece of art illustrates beautifully, humorously, and seriously that that just isn't true.

This short captured so well what it is like to be in the closet and have a crush on someone. You can't tell anyone not even your closest friends and you are desperate to keep your feelings hidden for fear they would reveal you were gay. This film takes the common cliché of exploring a high- school crush and put a new spin on it. For me this film struck a chord and the way that it has gone viral fills me with hope that we are moving in a positive direction as a society. And for the review criticizing the suggestion about a lot of kids can be homophobic at times, I'm sorry to say but from my experience as a young teenager, I was teased before I even came out and people would always had a negative view of homosexuality at least where I lived. It was only in the late teens and people matured that people become more accepting. I think it definitely has something to do with teenage insecurity. Here's to hoping this short gets the recognition it deserves.