#NewsBytesRecommends: 'The Other Pair' on YouTube—short film on selfless humanity
Well-made short films make for splendid viewing experiences because they say a lot in a limited time. Not a word and not a sequence should be wasted, and nothing should be out of line. The clock ticks, and the project must land. The Other Pair, on YouTube, sticks to this rule and, in six minutes, whips up an endearing tale of selfless, unfettered humanity.
This is what film is all about
TOP is about the chasm between the haves and the have-nots. A young, poor boy trudges through his miserable existence at a railway station, where his eyes light up when he sees another boy his age stomping in brand-new shoes. In a hurry to catch the train, however, the rich boy accidentally leaves a shoe behind, and this shoe then connects these two strangers.
Class differences don't build wall between boys
Instead of scheming to keep the shoe to himself, the poor boy picks it up and runs toward the train, but alas, he is no match for the mighty engine. What happens in the next scene caught me by surprise and made my heart full, as the rich boy (obsessed with his shoes just seconds ago) throws the other shoe at his new friend!
Unnamed characters seem to speak for all of us
The characters—a microcosmic representation of humanity, particularly childhood—are unnamed. They can be anyone around us, anyone who is moist with feelings of compassion and a genuine sense of altruism. It's striking how the rich boy doesn't think twice before giving away his prized possession, his shoe, because if he can't have the pair, at least someone can. Divided by class, but united by humanity!
Boys don't know each other, but kindness prevails
This sense of generosity goes both ways between the boys; they may not know each other, but they stand by each other nonetheless, and for a short film to package so many emotions in merely six minutes is stellar. The poor boy had not seen anything like those shoes, and he could have simply kept one of them, but inbuilt conscience, not guilt, prevails.
You can stream short film on YouTube
TOP, directed by Sarah Rozik, is inspired by an event in Mahatma Gandhi's life, as per the makers. The child actors' realistic acting further breathes life into the seemingly simple plot and evokes passionate emotions. By the time it ends, The Other Pair seems to ask: When did adults scissor kindness out of their lives? How can we tap into our selfless side again?
