Best Friend - Animation Short Film 2018 - GOBELINS

[@visvlogs255]

the thing that disturbed me most was how these supposedly 'best friends' only stood by and watched while the main was being attacked...and yet he still prefers them over real people

[@shariq6121]

Cos they were just an illusion designed for his desire.

[@nadiaalibaig]

I wonder what's so hard with getting a real best friend :/

[@shariq6121]

@@nadiaalibaig Sorry for the previous comment. I realized it was pretty bad. Getting to what you said, *"Finding A Best friend"* is pretty hard for sure especially in todays society. The people lacks trust into eachother just because they fear the outcome of disappointment from that person that's why our care and love for eachother has been affected badly. These are really the main pillar for building a good and stable friendship with someone and that's why it has become a hard task. Another thing is that people usually misunderstood the qualities of a best friend to look-for in a person. A person who gets you involve in bad means or getting you against your parents or destroying your mind is considered to be a friend in make-up but that is not the case. Especially youth doesn't realize that and after time they start to regret their choices. Each person has it's own nature and you can't change it, you need to adjust in that to know whether that person is good or bad for you then you can proceed further. As always trust your feelings, most of the time it guides you well. 👍

[@nadiaalibaig]

@@shariq6121 I don't entirely get what you mean... But then how can you explain people communicating with each other as they wait in line, this short animation reflects severe addictions and mental health issues in my opinion.

[@shariq6121]

@@nadiaalibaig Depression and other mental diseases surely come through loneliness and as the person in the video has no actual reality friend but just an illusion deep down he knows that it isn't real but he's so addicted to it that he wants it to be ever-lasting.

[@lexistevens4724]

“heyy arthur” aw shit. here we go again

[@pdf3733]

lexi stevens 420th like😎

[@rjpena6273]

@@pdf3733 Thats went by fast.

[@lemonlime2680]

Lexi Stevens 669 like🙃

[@BarhatnieTyagiKefteme]

lexi stevens 😂😂

[@jttekton]

*“I have a plan.”*

[@therealvoodoochild]

The irony of mass amounts of people socializing, yet are still lonely. I loved this.

[@notareallin620]

@Natasel Shit! Your right!

[@danieljaghab2664]

Had no clue what this was about. What you said makes sense.

[@alicelu5691]

it’s creepy as hell, talking to robots who completely don’t understand what you need...

[@MrAbiel1]

@@alicelu5691 if they did then what?

[@ollydollydove2329]

I dont think that was the point of the short film, i saw it more of an addiction problem

[@shadowki5687]

One thing of note was the fact that other people in the crows had the same implant but were still socializing with others shows that him becoming addicted was through overusage and his own lonliness

[@whitelight2195]

Honestly we see them socializing, but I'm not sure it is with others, from my point of view they are all talking to their "best friend" and not to others

[@DepressedScholar]

@@whitelight2195except we can see there implant

[@shadowki5687]

@@whitelight2195 at 4:23 those 2 guys are definitely talking to one another, so it's similar to anything else that can be addictive in frequent amounts, most people can turn it off but it seems like he kept it on constantly

[@HJwhatifs]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@whitelight2195 there is a black woman holding the arm of a white dude and looking at each other they literally couldn’t be talking to a friend because they’re that close and as we saw later the “friends” are holograms and when the homeless guy shows up the friends move to the side like with how the girl hologram is at Arthur side and not right by him in the line because she would glitch out. There’s even a mother and her child, and two girls point blank looking at each other talking. At some point it becomes obvious our main character is just an addict and not everyone else is like him he even stands out by the way he’s the only one looking scared. Not everyone is going to become an addict man.

[@larrykelly-kf5pp]

And after the initial seeing of all the real people and realisation, he then sees them go all blurry and shadowy, so he’s not seeing them as they really are anymore

[@Belugamindreading]

People are saying he would've learned his lesson after nearly being killed but in reality we too would try it again i like how the creator was honest in the ending

[@EmailBacon]

True, cuz in the future, we could be permanently blinded by new tech

[@Belugamindreading]

@Ashley Ward thats a lie temptation is hard to resist and its not a matter of being a sheep or not you are human you act on instincts and irrational thoughts and action, if however you are you'll just come crawling back again in the future

[@clam4503]

Ashley Ward ok conspiracy theorist

[@davidgamerxd4596]

So then with this ideology it's doesn't matter how hard we try we only do what we can do, is good to know your limits

[@rangshi]

A good example of this is drug or smoking addicts who get health scares yet they still continue nonetheless

[@B0R3_D]

The fact that being lonely hurts so much that he got addicted to that little taste of what being loved/cared for felt like, even if it wasn't real

[@unofficial62]

Nooooo being alone doesn't hurt at least in my case

[@mattloveland9706]

To be honest, it's kind of like drug abuse. Once you get your hands on what you thought could help you, will only make life worse and more depressing though, there are lots of people to help when this happens

[@lukapaic7560]

Well in todays world full with social media and tech its no wonder people would resort to such things

[@mattloveland9706]

@@lukapaic7560 Yeah but, some people help those with things like drug abuse but, in this world, they all have drug problems and no one is stopping it...

[@TamWam_]

Why am I addicted to phones and stuff? It’s literally like 4 am, I wish I could stop.

[@rawnoodle]

The fact when the man attacked him and the friends could not do anything really shows how much real friends mean, ones who got your back

[@Person-co3gr]

@clink Take it less literally. Yea they couldn’t help because they were illusions, but it’s also representing how fake friends don’t do anything for you or help you.

[@gegeenuyanga399]

It’s irony, there an illusion, how could they even know he was in danger, and even if they knew they could do nothing.

[@JulianaBlewett]

Except when they don't.

[@Luv4gael]

Very true

[@summer8941]

And that he had to pay to keep them around

[@hyperf1sh161]

4:35 I’ve watched this a few times but I just notice how in this scene, his tears are vibrant yellow. Shows just how much he’s been using the product

[@josiahhernandez2741]

It’s like drug overdose

[@rushsiteb]

I can see where you are going with this, but he did also just take the eyedrops and they have a pretty vibrant dye so it also could be that

[@WobblesandBean]

The way his eyes roll back and that "ahhh..." he gives when he uses the eye drops is just like a junkie getting a hit.

[@Avenue-Angel]

that´s crazy i never noticed that

[@lucky_lynx7867]

idk why, but this video makes me depressed

[@FilmSong]

The visuals in this are absolutely stunning... this is some talented animation.

[@PradeepYadav-dg5fv]

u also got notification now thats amazing

[@IloveSatyrs9191]

The sad thing about Arthur is that he alone has no friends, so Arthur did not abandon the supposed best friend product because he does not want to be alone he wants to be with his supposed friends he wants to feel loved and not rejected

[@Candy-og7pt]

Yes it's the best thing ever

[@sourrlemonss]

I agree

[@JAVIER_SAY_DADA]

One of the best animations I've seen.

[@jackhoff2174]

The sad part is that he didn’t even learn his lesson

[@mattloveland9706]

I agree though, it's hard to stop doing things like that or for example, drugs. Once you get hold of something that makes you feel good, you never stop taking it

[@kilometers6088]

This comment is stolen

[@ninanina4231]

Maybe it was because of Kami, we seen the looks he gives to her. Not cause of addiction, interaction or anything. We saw and heard of how much Kami means so much to him. 3:16 he "I really thought I was gonna lose you." to her, 4:00 He screamed her name, even reaching his hand out to her and 4:13 he shouted "SHE'S MINE". Whenever Kami disappears or near, he would go to desperation just to see her. He could have real friends already but if he did, He won't see Kami anymore because he has 'friends'. She's so precious to him so much he even decided to get a new one, just have her again. This is just my answer to the reason

[@ho11owbone]

thats what makes it "realistic"

[@GuitoWorks]

in the real life the addicts dont learn the lesson

[@yourfavrosie]

them: "we are your friends" also them: watches as your head get cut by a maniac

[@yourfavrosie]

@medvedpotato break out of the virtual world

[@pokaay3163]

@medvedpotato its not so much the logic and physical rules behind it but rather the message that it send to the audience. Of course they couldn’t do anything, but that’s not the point. It’s the irony of the situation that affected people.

[@benstr620]

I feel like it's about addiction. People you meet through drugs or the drugs themselves feel amazing but in a pinch will sit and watch you die. In the case of people I have seen that for sure but the drugs can't do anything.

[@join8998]

Please folks, their lives do matter, yes they do, they did, had and always had, because their lives do matter, regardless of their exterior and interior, we are here in this world with the purpose of evolving internally, with or without God, because it is a fact, that nobody is born perfect and good, that is why we have to sow and reap positive fruits regardless of whether we will die or not, due to corruption, apathy, negative thoughts, had people who saw no meaning in life this is it, that's why we have to seek to unite, empathize, be united as a whole, and produce positive fruits for each other, that's in my opinion, stay in peace , their lives matter, regardless of the opinion of others, if someone wants to talk and share their feelings and thoughts of their conscience, feel free, and by the way don't get carried away by your own mind and body, that's why we are here in this world, pair to evolve, not to satisfy the flesh, to heal our outer needs, but to seek knowledge, intelligence, wisdom, empathy, self-control, pure love, unity, etc., because it is obvious that we want a paradise, we who we have to build our paradise, I am saying this, regardless of whether there is a God or not, whether there is Life after death or not, because we are here, to obtain the inner evolution, so that in addition to building our character, we can create an environment and a good world where there will be no diseases, no deaths, be it natural or accidental, that's it, and never let yourself be carried away by these negative stimuli of your mind, but so that you can develop as a great living and collective, and if you want to share what you feel, and what you think and that's okay, I'm not going to judge you.

[@lastrival1315]

Still it’s better than fake real friends who runs away instead of standing in support of you

[@kennydarmawan13]

Notice the genius design of each "Best Friend" the device has. Each of them are meant to be the motivation, assisting type with positive attitude. From Cami's casual retro-tech design, to a surfer bro, a wizard, a task-managing ball, a cheery girl, and a game controller. You can tell that each of them are meant to be the type of "friend" everyone wants.

[@dudebro2282]

This was like an episode of Black Mirror condensed down to 5 minutes

[@SupremeCaptainBlaze]

it's better this way

[@KristenAndria]

dude bro I swear i thought the same thing

[@roberttraylor9318]

or Love Death & Robots

[@Tsuntea01]

I thought the same. How this is not a Black Mirror episode?!?!

[@slanetroyard92]

@@roberttraylor9318 but wich episode the one with the dumbass strips naked?

[@chickow3338]

Did anyone notice that his tears were yellow towards the end? I think that it was a creative way to show how much he uses the liquid for his friends

[@thenormalguy6724]

Correction:"friends"

[@kjaterss5001]

666th like

[@thesuperdoge2476]

Sausage Shark _everyone notice it_

[@dislexiaboi775]

Its kinda hard to miss

[@papasscooperiaworker3649]

TheNormalGuy wtf

[@wuznab5109]

3019 kids commenting about how this is relatable.

[@gardner2687]

Or maybe 2025...

[@suuwe7127]

Yikes

[@billybimbo985]

Probably be in a new language

[@filip7113]

so true

[@aditipaul2906]

😂😂👍

[@oafy4796]

This reminds me of when i was once an addict. It was our "cure" for our "happiness". It was like a rollercoaster ride that we couldn't stop. We kept wanting more and more of it, no matter the consequences. We thought we were in control, but in hindsight, we were completely out of control. There are a lot of people who go through it too, so I say "we."

[@billle6883]

Plot twist: Arthur was attacked by his future self.

[@droveyydunkeyy3653]

And that's a theory

[@dev0026]

@@droveyydunkeyy3653 a game theory 👁️

[@Artificial_Idiot]

dev 002 Do You Mean A Film Theory?

[@Loonaurtheworld]

@MASON !!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA

[@bark6383]

OMG maybe his future self was trying to save present him from falling too deep into the rabbit hole

[@lTheBlackGuyl]

" *Heeeeyy Arthur* "

[@supergirlysofia3054]

"D.W!!!!!???"

[@josefmetzger7317]

Howdy

[@KjHerbohn]

stay the fuck away from me

[@undergrounddrift9408]

HELLO ITS ME... *ARTHUR*

[@messwithgame17]

hey its me Vsausce

[@icantthinkofagoodname6930]

Poor guy. He’s so lonely that he can’t live without those eye drops, and it’s only sinking him deeper into addiction. This is too real. Having social anxiety and not being able to make friends with people really sucks.

[@Someone-nt8wz]

I actually dreamt this concept some other day. It was terrifying and I want to forget those past moments that I've experienced.

[@tabbaldwin3165]

it will probably gonna happen,loo what elon musk has created

[@Daniel-yd4ws]

Buddy asks for help, I know it is very difficult to overcome these problems. But the sooner you start working with a therapist, it will be easier to learn how to live better and happier.

[@nicholas8982]

Tbh i feel it’s his fault for not trying to make friends or relationship with people.

[@beatfox5075]

I am not able to make friends too.... I feel everyone is way different than me.... I feel like all the people are connected with a line and i am the only one who is out... The one who can't see this line so i can connect like them.....and, sorry for the bad english.... My friends 🙂

[@reversemusic4405]

it's scary how this is becoming more and more relatable and I'm falling down that hole...

[@Noonelalala]

It matches a lot of my nightmares and horrors and thought (especially from time i found character ai ) that i cant ignore like what is the meaning of life and all of it if robots can do it better than us? They seriously are getting better at making people feel loved appreciated and etc

[@bthfjyvjiuyh]

Its not real. And dont fall down ❤

[@-beee-]

Connecting with other people can be incredibly rewarding! I hope you find a community of folks who can support you and help you navigate the tough moments.

[@Kirbyfan45]

​@@Noonelalala But at least they will never make me feel appreciated.

[@Aretroguy]

These are the types of horror that scare me, the dystopian vibe, fake loved ones and friends, addiction to technology always makes me sick and this is why this animation is just amazing

[@hantze]

reminds me of the consequences of Apple's Vision Pro

[@ihihihihi.heheh.]

NEURALINK.

[@JamesYankah2]

Like you’re in my head😂😂

[@joof15]

Arent you addicted to technology?

[@ruaraidh74]

It's scary because it's real and this is probably our fate...

[@honeycombc]

I really love how there is no redemption. This is just a look into this guys life, a man at his lowest point. He loses everything, literally ripped from him. He doesn’t deal with not having his friends anymore. He simply replaces the dot, and falls straight back into the same routine. It’s beautifully tragic, yet so simple. I love it.

[@gregzotter6189]

That summed it up pretty well.

[@llIlIlllII]

At 4:34, the entire crowd has these devices. Meaning that even if he wanted to try to find real friends, he couldn't. Everyone else isn't interested; they only care about their imaginary friends. His age being 30 is no coincidence. At this age it is almost impossible to escape friendlessness in modern society.

[@ajadalynncvv2372]

Or are being prevented from taking by person(s). But, hey... just my personal situational experience. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@viderevero1338]

It is one of my favorite short animations on this site.

[@gendygoblin8391]

It’s dystopian as hell and frighteningly realistic on some level with companies feeding off of people’s loneliness and desperation.

[@LazyLawson]

Best friends that can’t even help you when someone’s attacking you 👌

[@itsthe5-096]

Should have brought his 40

[@brickfighter1320]

That's because they aren't really there

[@joebradshaw5282]

Sounds like my friends

[@LazyLawson]

brickfighter 13 you don’t say

[@sellusana9801]

LazyLawson hahaha

[@myprofilepictureisafish]

This really hits close, especially because he didn’t try to stop after nearly dying, everything you could ever imagine can push you beyond your limit but addiction somehow always wins, no matter what, sometimes it’s just like that, you have to take to step yourself, nothing can push you to do it, YOU have to push yourself. This was an amazing experience to watch

[@piedssurterreyeuxsurlalune]

❤

[@lwwonder8123]

This is both depressing and interesting

[@hoov_er3735]

Two thousand likes and no replies hmm

[@francopensalfine7494]

But depressing above all

[@vertex9200]

I thought of it more as DESPAIRFUL

[@missykami]

Just depressing

[@maurabird8658]

Isn't this what Facebook is all about?

[@whois2517]

The man who tried to kill Arthur had many scars on his face which suggests he was very much more addicted than Arthur.

[@yojin.2699]

it was literally arthur himself showing himself how he would look like if he continued that addiction.🗿

[@flint7277]

Y o j I n.요진 so deep

[@karolinakuc4783]

He was not trying to kill him just scratched him to get that yellow battery. But I do not doubt he was ready to kill for his technological addiction

[@MeagenTheCook]

""kill""

[@wax3383]

Bitch imagine having a criminal record saying: - addicted to *friends*

[@pepperjackie5617]

The ending had me like “Oh yay he doesn’t have it any-“ *closes cabinet* “WHYYYY WOULD YOU GET IT ON THE OTHER SIDEEE”

[@estellevu8076]

Cuz he's got friends on the other side.

[@Bodogato]

@@estellevu8076Oh goddam , is that a disney?

[@violence8550]

@@estellevu8076 Doctor Facilier, nice to see you again!

[@Smellyrules101]

Bodogato ShadowStorm it’s a phrase from The Princess and the Frog

[@kstar1830]

The depressing part about the scene was that after Arthur got assaulted by a best friend addict he literally learned nothing and didn't learn his lesson.....

[@HonetsukiNick29]

何年も前にこのアニメを見つけて以来、何度となく思い起こされては見に来てしまうほどにお気に入りの動画です。 主人公の“アーサー”という男性の境遇などを読み取ると、現代社会人の抱える重圧や依存が垣間見えるのがとても秀逸です。 以下は“自分なり”の解釈を適当に書き記したものです。 ・“アーサー”という名前から、親から過度な期待を押し付けられているような印象を受ける ・主人公の所作や言動から“根は優しいが、人付き合いが不得手で孤独な人物”であることが伺えられる。現代よりも進んだ時代にありながら家族や友人から祝ってもらえない様子や、歌うことに夢中で予備のナノマシンを踏んでしまうところからも読み取れる。 ・Best Friendの“利便性”よりも、“自分と対話してくれる存在”として依存している主人公とホームレスが、スマートフォンあるいはSNSといったものの象徴に見える。 ・ホームレスは主人公のような(寂しさを煩わせるものとして依存している)人の成れの果て。孤独を埋めるために何かに依存しすぎて破滅した人 ・ホームレスのこめかみに付いている端末が他のものと異なっている。これは “規格が古いものが付いていて、かなり前からBestFriendに依存している” “何度も端末の取り換えを繰り返した結果、引き剥がせないように固定化された” “他社から引き剥がした端末を無理やり埋め込むための非合法？な機器” のような様々な考察が考えられる。いずれにせよ、彼がアーサー以上に依存してまともな思考回路を保てない状態にあるのは明らか

[@soysource3218]

Google translate does not do a decent job of translating your analysis but you've got a pretty unique perspective on this artwork.

[@chairsilver2]

yes i agree. nice analysis my friend

[@christopherramsey7027]

I think that the man who attacked Arthur is supposed to represent the man he would become if he continued using that technology. At the end it's revealed that Arthur has gained a scar, just like the many the other man had.

[@oliverclowsoft8241]

Christopher Ramsey the scar was on the other side of were the different man cut.

[@YungRowdyBoy]

nah bro , the mirror just flips it in the last scene , it’s the left side of his face

[@raniefu9619]

Christopher Ramsey a sharp view. Like it.

[@Jamato-sUn]

@@oliverclowsoft8241 why did he need the device and not eye drops?

[@xpert4kali661]

Oh.. Now I get it.. Maybe that's how it will be in future

[@QcumberArt]

This animations avoided so many cliches by making him just going back his friend at the end

[@nocctea]

Yeah it was honestly really refreshing! There’s so many shorts that essentially say “technology bad". I liked the ending because it made sense.

[@geeswithane7yrago303]

It was more realistic that he just went back. You would have too.

[@kennydarmawan13]

Yep. Many other shows like Batman Beyond go with the serotonin nonsense that undermines the moral. We need actual stories and people, not some petty excuse.

[@kennydarmawan13]

@@dragonairdragon6173 of course, but also happy and cheerful =/= realistic

[@FrancescaAkira89]

@@nocctea This short said anyway "technology is bad", he didn't return because the tech is okay, he just stays addicted in the end, he is not okay. The man who attacked him? He had maaany scars on his head, because before he put out that thing but then re-used it again again. The man who attacked him is his future.

[@Hello-bs7ll]

The fact that the guy who almost killed him looked like an older version of our protagonist kinda shows how he will turn out because of his addiction

[@ame_vagabonde]

That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw the scar on his temple

[@kaylenvee8150]

I think an interesting thing is that, we see in that huge line to the machine that, while everyone also has the yellow dot indicating they have the Best Friend, they're not talking to themselves. They're turned to each other, looking each other in the eyes and even touching each other. They're not completely isolated and dependent like Arthur is, which is even sadder because that means he's voluntarily pushing himself into relying on nothing but the Best Friend. There ARE people he could connect to, but he just doesn't allow himself to.

[@soysource3218]

It adds nuance to the narrative which is pleasing to see. Other animations criticising 'modern technology' sometimes miss the point like Steve Cutt's animations.

[@libervitaexaltis4551]

It's because not everyone in the world is a "normal" and "extroverted" individual. Some people are neurodivergent, so people are autistic, some people are just just spaced out, overly emotional or "wierd" There's a lot of speculation about why there are so many such people these days, and people often blame it on technology or just say that people are pretending to be "special" for attention. Truth is, it's because we don't have witch hunts and inquisitions anymore. Neurodivergent people are simply more likely to survive into adulthood, hence why there's more of them. And they're isolated, because society and its rules aren't always friendly to people like them.

[@PandoraBear357]

There's also the scene on the street when he no longer has the implant, and there's crowds of real people. Other people are out and about doing things.

[@dangelowilson2475]

3:45 Pretty symbolic how they look almost identical if you remove their hair from the equation, almost like an omen of what he’ll eventually turn into if he doesn’t stop.

[@katien3022]

Yes! This is in point.

[@terenarosa4790]

Nice catch!

[@saltysalmoling8055]

Hey congrats, someone else actually noticed

[@preetipreety]

Maybe these scars shows how many times other people tried to snatch that bestfriend capsule from him (thief)

[@saltysalmoling8055]

@@preetipreety yes, just like the guys scar at the very end

[@calico9053]

"Everybody loves you, but nobody likes you, and that is the loneliest feeling in the world" -Bojack

[@Sprite-od4xl]

I don't understand ¿?

[@lolzcataclysm511]

@@Sprite-od4xl You never will

[@goodnightmyprince6734]

I'm acquainted with that feeling, sadly.

[@xkatakuri7777]

i cant exactly comprehend what that means, yet i somehow clearly understand it

[@juno7864]

@@lolzcataclysm511 s0 eDgY 😜

[@hiraikotsuu4088]

3:45 I just realized that those scars represent how many time he’s gotten those “best friends” things implanted onto his head. Good Lord.

[@D3niz3n]

And torn out. The scars probably mean other addicts tore out his other implants.

[@hl6813]

Denizen _ At first, I believed that when he was elbowed in the head, that attack caused the cuts.

[@jokerzbabe13]

H. L. , it only knocked the honeless mans hat off so the scars were visible.

[@marixmoon9960]

Plus, it looks like he got a different implant, maybe one that was interchangeable instead of renewable, if you know what I mean.

[@lamanuu]

Exactly 😶

[@Rudiculous]

This short film represents my addiction of short films.

[@1nd1_500]

The scars on the attacker's head show the level of his addiction, and the new scar on the main character's head in the end show he's going down the same path. Darker than I thought it was the first time I watched it!

[@aleks1378]

This should be a Black Mirror episode men GREAT JOB!

[@mimar999]

Actually this is not a "man", Gobelins is a french very famous school of animation, this was made by some students group :D

[@hannahwilliams2472]

i kind of is already :D

[@pauskycaelum6276]

Классная аватарка

[@MsZinA23]

the symbol that popped up around 1:03, isn't it the same one from the Arkangel episode of BM?

[@clivehandforth3531]

@@mimar999 its an expression

[@avaroberts2747]

1:10 I never saw this before but Arthur’s cake only has one slice when he’s in reality. Edit: just saw this now & wowie that’s a lot of you, thank you so much!

[@Hafa_Benny]

Woah

[@vidyasree9362]

That's a damnn good eye

[@TheBluePhoenix008]

Bruh

[@sakshijangra]

You're a keen observer

[@AniesCorner]

VERY good catch! I can't count the number of times I've watched this and I never noticed.

[@radjaametahri5279]

I think at the end it means that somtimes even if we know that our friends or our relationships are fake with people, we can not just let is go. Not because we can't do it, because we are afraid to be alone

[@radjaametahri5279]

@Y Z thank you❤

[@TheHgifg]

And also because that is what everyone is doing so if you don't, you will be treated like you are the freak.

[@bonxlinx]

I actually did that. I was just tired of fake people with fake smiles, they weren't there for me when I was at my lowest point. So I finally let it go. I'm starting over now.

[@radjaametahri5279]

@@bonxlinx well there is no such thing as a perfect life, somtimes we feel the most happy ,we pass great moment with our friends familly and we wish it never ends but some other times life can be hard we lose who we thought they'll never leave us we break up with who we beleive that they were part of our soul but we are still breathing and nothing has stoped that mean we are born to fight we have fun some day we cry some others and life is still going Those who left they werent made for that place god make us meet them to learn from them some lessons and when there mission is done theyll go, we should not be sad for that but we should be greatfull for the lessons that we've learned, maybe it will take time to understand the meanig behind it and also it will be hard to forget them but this it the purpose of live to experience and learn how to be strong.

[@bonxlinx]

@@radjaametahri5279 I was always awere of that. Shit happens. The best thing we can do is try to cope with it and then move on. The thing is deep down, I always knew those relationships were never meant to last forever. When I was alone, I was trying to understand what was the meaning behind all of this. And when I did, I did what I should have done a long time ago. I'm much happier now. Friends and relationships are awesome. But I rather have those things with real people. I never wanted to have tons of people around me. Just a few friends that sometimes I can talk to is enough for me.

[@QueenM691]

*Will no one talk about how rich "Best friend" company's owner is?*

[@christinaMJ]

I wonder if that person uses it. I mean in a world like that won't that person be lonely too.

[@superjc2528]

Maybe it’s AI

[@StNick119]

@@christinaMJ Possibly. But wealth is a social lubricant. Chances are they have it far easier finding the time/resources to spend with/on people than people like Arthur, who doesn't seem to exhibit that kind of wealth.

[@mita6801]

Elon musk with his neuralink lol

[@Twonkae]

aprilmoon I was about to say this

[@RayMak]

Such amazing animation and story telling. All the details are on point...

[@aeshikajyotshna852]

I am the first reply

[@svtminghao]

I am the second

[@quimpherahmed366]

Third

[@sudhanshuvinayak5492]

😇👍

[@imstupidbut1603]

How is Ray Mak not a meme yet

[@bradmcdavid2837]

this made me quit my addiction to Ai chats thanks man

[@valeriaosejozenteno5236]

Don't you think that the man who atacked Arthur looks kinda like Arthur himself???

[@opticfloyyyd]

Hugvy Akelley I mean they’re Asian so

[@virginia8784]

@@opticfloyyyd BAHAHAHA yes we all look alike dont we?

[@starlightrai]

It’s probably to portray parallels between them.

[@Bigassfool]

Hugvy Akelley I think it’s to show how they are both addicted or something

[@nyrockchicxx]

To me that guy was who Arthur would be in his future.

[@winstonthepooh9388]

I thought he actually had friends and was really tired at first until she started glitching... This is really a biggest nightmare of mine now

[@maccychee3858]

Wasn't it obvious when he blew out the candle?

[@winstonthepooh9388]

Timid uwu I thought it was very cartoony to be honest

[@blackheart456]

What glitching.?

[@maccychee3858]

@@blackheart456 at the beginning when the battery in his eyeball was low

[@f4ux578]

only thought that at the end, when he got a new chip

[@ryliehunter5082]

The one slice that actually shows in the cake is the best detail. You can see the rest of the cake is holographic while only one piece is real, meant for arthur

[@amansaini9541]

Nice observation miss foreigner 🤌✨

[@prettymhat04ify]

honestly,, that creepy guy couldve just taken the eye drops instead of the actual thing

[@xyzeeee]

Maybe his thing was broken?

[@aninwabuachie]

He prolly broke

[@D3niz3n]

He was crazed. And I think his head thing was broken.

[@radiationgaming3219]

They scan the eye drops in order to personalize it so he would need to get a new one.

[@Esketoth]

Those scars on his head were likely from lost applications of "best friend" and if your thing in the head is broken or out of charge you'll never going to be able to recharge it. So he wished for his "working" "best friend"

[@kaitdillard]

All the comments ive seen so far aren’t giving the main character enough credit. Yes he’s addicted to this scary technology, and yes addiction is bad. But it’s his loneliness that created and feeds that addiction to being with. And that lonely feeling caused desperation and his desperation led to his addiction. He would’ve been alone on his birthday if not for these holograms, so I really sympathize with him. That being said everything about this animation is so impactful. It’s very well done.

[@Masiyooo]

Also it shows plenty of people who who have the same tech and are socializing with friends and don't have the same problems.

[@amalwais6896]

@@Masiyooo Facebook. Twitter. Myspace. Instagram. Handheld devices. People claiming "I can't live without the web." We're enslaving ourselves to technology. It's becoming the death of all of us

[@Masiyooo]

@@amalwais6896 but here's an argument: they're fun.

[@stevenmael]

Already had that thought, the justification of such technologies and products being "At-least it gives some people comfort and companionship", some using the elderly and such as an example. These are not excuses, this does not justify the cost that has to be paid for such products to exist, there are better alternatives, better ways, REAL SOLUTIONS. ENOUGH WITH THE JUSTIFICATION OF HALF MEASURES.

[@BearWarriorTeddy]

Sympathize isn't the same as giving credit, everyone has reasons to be bad, even though for some, its much greater, but if they don't strive to be better, I won't appreciate and give credit to them, only sympathize.

[@ghostmoran3227]

As someone who is a maladaptive daydreamer, I relate a scarily large amount to this short film.

[@gj5748]

SAME

[@janaahmad124]

I agree

[@coldhaixx1905]

What is that?

[@corporalanonymous4589]

Agree

[@your_pal_whale2964]

@@coldhaixx1905 maladaptive daydreaming is a disorder that renders the person with this ability to daydream throughout the day. Although sounding somewhat peaceful, it’s time consuming and an addiction(similar to OCD in that people who suffer from it will continue certain actions until a daydream is perfected). Activities like listening to music, watching movies, reading books can give inspiration; making prolonged day dreaming times. Typically, maladaptive daydreaming involves the person thinking of a world that is entirely fictional, involving different characters and story arch(sometimes even themselves). Pacing, mimicking the characters actions, crying when the daydream gets emotional, listening to music repeatedly on full volume, these are all things that vary from daydreamer to daydreamer. It’s weird because despite this, we’re still attached to reality and are aware of everything.

[@Redd0w]

As someone who struggles to socialise with real people and daydreams a lot about being in relationships I can feel comfortable in this is very relatable.

[@javierveliz991]

I just realize the reason Arthur BestFriend juice run out so quickly is because, he’s not only using it for hour, bu also loading like 10 characters at once to feel like he has multiple friends

[@mandarue5104]

Oh shoot! Good catch. I hadn't noticed before.

[@RegularInvader]

I recall reading someone's comment "I thought the homeless man was gonna show him the meaning of life by becoming his real friend. Boy was I wrong." It really caught my attention because I didn't see it that way when I first saw this.😮

[@darkhoodchief]

I mean the homeless man's appearance kinda gave it away.

[@manasanchez6384]

I don't mean to be mean... Hahaha but as a person who lives in a third world country... If you see anyone on an alley or somewhere dark and lonely it only means trouble. So yeah, I imagined he would get mugged (not what happened though, i thought he'd take the yellow liquid or something... I did not understand his chip didn't work).

[@mochi5024]

I imagined that too. But I was wrong

[@MyChihuahua]

Even better, he wanted 'friends' so maybe he should have just been his friend and he wouldn't need his button anymore either

[@Thatonebrownhuevito]

....yeah...be friends

[@phlarbus7821]

I thought this was gonna be a cute little short film about bestfriends but I guess not 😭😭

[@miwakuuu3551]

A Z Z Y Y same •-•

[@LR-oe9mt]

Omggg i was so shocked 😭😭

[@saranikolovska540]

Same... And I didn't even get thr point...

[@phlarbus7821]

Miguel Antonio Clavijo Gimenez nobody reads the desc ROBLOX kid

[@Adry_24]

Ikr..

[@VolChekymyrulaiev]

I noticed, by the way, a detail that was not described in the comments. Other people, despite the fact that they have a “Best Friend”, still communicate with real friends, only the main character is completely buried in virtual friends. So I would call the idea of ​​the short film not “technology is killing society”, but the idea of ​​loneliness, as lonely people simply have no other choice.

[@alissiafiorentini6843]

It literally made me think about the Characterai thing...

[@amethystaries9789]

This was extremely well made, the one attack scene made me have a mini anxiety attack. I'd love to see more of this story, this was a great short film!

[@moonlightfox8631]

IKR! so scared! My little brother stopped breathing, but he's ok.

[@Kellydakitkat]

@Raku Ichijo what!???? And salt water???

[@ПользовательОбыкновенный-ч7д]

@Raku Ichijo Please tell me it's just a trolling pasta.

[@nadadealer4435]

Raku Ichijo You shouldn’t be on the internet if a minute of a video can affect you that hard.

[@DanielBrazRPM]

You wont see more of this film, the social criticism is made

[@fregglecore9533]

I think it's over looked how expensive this addiction is. Every pack is 60 dollars, and Aurthur had like 4 packs in that one night.

[@bituin5908]

sneakyASMR • 60 dollars won’t be much in the future

[@murtazahameed2552]

Still cheaper than cocaine

[@dehumannature]

60 bitcoin, not dollars. 60 bitcoin is around 500,000$ at the moment

[@fregglecore9533]

@@dehumannature are you telling me that it's even MORE expensive????

[@dinobutler4564]

@@fregglecore9533 facts

[@miramilk5733]

The fact that the hologram girl is not even program to think about his safety is really scared me, Everything is safety first but the creator just programmed her to just literally pick up a really low rate machine in the place like that, just to have him buy more of their stuff.. And the fact that they don't even program 'contact help if the costumers is in danger' and let them just standing there, watching their costumers(or friends..?) hurting and dying from something... God, it's so scary. The creator of this 'Best Friend' products is a real monster.

[@cassandrabelyeu2419]

Or incompetent. If you can't market safety value, you'll be pushed out of the market

[@miramilk5733]

@@cassandrabelyeu2419 ikr, But this is more like a drug dealers. There are no safety values, they never care their costumers, just do everything to make them buy more of it. That's all they do and it's exactly like this.

[@cassandrabelyeu2419]

Yeah, as a software programmer myself I find it really reassuring that it hurts a real company's bottom line if my code doesn't have the necessary safety measures in it. I wouldn't want to work anywhere near a programmer with that drug-dealer mentality. If you see them get so careless about safety on the consumer's end, you know their back-end code is like a barrel full of snakes and barbed wire. Don't touch it, don't edit it, don't use it, just burn down the building.

[@hayanyu2719]

welp.. thats was a deep one to think about too, Thanks for mentioned man its really realest to the creator of some product irl too, some just don't really give a shit about their costumers if their things selling well, they just do more and do everything to make people buy it more. and in this animation its not just a product but more like a service product that the costumers will always use it for a long term so its mean that their have to really care about their costumers a lot. But in this animation it like you said, they dont even have any safety program service for the costumers this is cruel as heck yo

[@marlond5579]

That's laissez faire capitalism baby

[@xxghhh6188]

it's true, we fill our loneliness with virtual reality, smartphones, tablets, anything so that we don't remain lonely.

[@yungscrub23]

I don’t wanna be that guy, but who else wants this to be like a movie on Netflix?

[@jacobbudd2011]

Not on Netflix because they'll probably ruin it but yeah. A full movie or show on this would be dope. The world sorta reminds me of Psycho pass.

[@aishwaryanair485]

Black mirror is kinda like this bruh... It shows how advanced tech might probably ruin us in the future

[@sarahr3813]

Aishwarya Nair Exactly! Nosedive, Playtest, Ashley Too, Hang the DJ, Striking vipers and even Smithereens are describing the same kind of reality.

[@aishwaryanair485]

@@sarahr3813 yup

[@bennichol1510]

@@jacobbudd2011 I don't know it could make a good basis for a black mirror episode

[@arturoreyescortez2476]

This short film is really scary, and like Black Mirror it shows what would happen in a society that values more superficial comforts over human needs. I have heard something similar happens in Japan: some adult men feel alienated from society because of overworking and high expectations from their families, and some can develop toxic habits like playing date sims to deal with loneliness, and even wanting to marry virtual characters.

[@sophia8677]

oh geez D:

[@driftwood4367]

I think those people are called Hikikomori

[@maity1866]

@@driftwood4367 not just hikikomori. Those are a just recluses. Japan has a really big problem with their high expectations in general; across the whole country. Its one of the major factors in their high suicide rate.

[@themoribundapathetic4530]

I'm kind of like that...hikokomori but born american ...also I'm aroace and autistic so that has a lot to do with it. I don't need need a relationship of any sorts to survive...as long as i can devote my life to science.

[@korrasami188]

Dude it's not superficial to want friends and to be loved. Its superficial to only find value in objects, like only caring about how fancy your clothes are and your house. If looks are what you find most valuable you are shallow.. This is about lonelyness and addiction, they may have issues in Japan but its no different here in the u.s. but judging ppl for falling inlove with charachters is wrong. Unless its loli then thats nasty and wrong. But ppl fall inlove for personalities and connections and 'real' people can be cruel, harsh, unattainable and its hard not to look out on this world today and not recluse. We all have our fixes to cope with reality they are all just different. Pressuring ppl into thinking they need human interaction cause of ppl being lonely like this guy in the vid will only make these thing persist.

[@kevonrattigan406]

I feel y'all ignoring the fact that we he confronted the wrong guy and was shoved after making the mistake, no one cared that his head was bleeding nor did they bother to even see what was wrong or why he was freaking out; he isn't the only one at fault since society proved that when he needed them most they didn't care or bother to help him which influenced his need and dependency on the holograms since he still believes they're always there for him

[@adamkeenan5707]

Kamran R don’t have to be liberal to see it

[@kevonrattigan406]

I'm a communist

[@peasantofpersia]

@@kevonrattigan406 liberals and communists are really close. They always say it is societies fault not individuals fault. Which is bs. We all have a choice to make.

[@channelswolfbrigade]

Just.. don’t put weird stuff in your brain.. that’s the message!

[@obara7366]

In a crowded street corner, if someone suddenly shoved me and hurled accusations at me, I'd shove them away too- the bleeding head doesn't help his image. But I do agree that the fact everyone else there is oblivious to his plight, too caught up in their own world. That's kinda sad and I've seen that shit happen irl. Saw a girl robbed of her phone and she had run through a train station chasing the thief and no one helped her until she ran into me and my friends.

[@taniyaambasta5285]

whenever i feel low/alone/or kindof i come here back! and this makes me strong tht i dont need ppl

[@aymiraydinli5655]

i thought this is about some guy who is in a friendzone, damn this got dark real quick

[@pamelavergara3771]

The friendzone is a made up concept that dosen't mean anything

[@pokaay3163]

@@pamelavergara3771 ok. And? “Friendzone” is a way to describe someone who has romantic feelings for someone else who only regards them as a friend, in a platonic sense. It’s a term which actually has a conceivable use in the modern world, though contrived.

[@emmahart9715]

Yeah, I thought he was depressed or something, which was me reasoning about how tired he looks, but dang. The whole concept of realistic virtual 'friends' is terrifying

[@lotus9616]

Saameee

[@SammiDrawsAThing]

@@pokaay3163 You’re right that many people still use the word in the modern world, but it shouldn’t be used in the negative connotation that is associated with it. People who act platonically towards someone with ulterior motives shouldn’t be criticized for trying to be a friend.

[@nicoyazawa2488]

That's some good ass voice acting

[@hwikilmon4677]

Fr

[@mr3rr0r15]

Ikr it's gold

[@Balloonbot]

Like an animated episode of Black Mirror! Fantastic.

[@melodyacosta5939]

IKR! That's exactly what I thought, love it

[@gracehaven5459]

I thought of that as well

[@DOT107]

so basically just a cathartic episode then?

[@neoenemy4145]

Is black mirror good!?

[@joselyn3618]

I was thinking the same thing!!!

[@YourSoulIsMineyummers]

The fact this is becoming a reality💀💀💀💀💀💀

[@sofiak196]

real 💀

[@Donovan_berk]

Wait for 20 years more

[@amonke2761]

This scared the shit out of me, not used to ppl randomly saying my name

[@TumbleBell]

Lol

[@walterwhitegaming7929]

Question

[@taicheng243]

Then you need a best friend

[@bigsmoke1179]

Than watch joker ma friendito

[@__yam1502]

Did anyone notice that the girl in the beginning never finished her sentence

[@morgue1484]

what does that mean

[@ohyeahyeah8810]

death

[@evy2248]

Yess

[@ok-tp8be]

what does it mean

[@dorothy4463]

You're so silly. Were your friends and that's what friends are for right? You can call me-

[@DuckEmpress]

It's cool how you see people with normal relationships, and then there's Arthur. It is still normal to make real friends, but Arthur chooses not to.

[@fullmetal1013]

Yeah but "real" friends are never there for you, they backstab you, use you and secretly hate you to be fair, its hard meeting new people when you're out of school/college especially when you're a naturally shy person. If people in the real world hate you, then having virtual friends isnt such a bad idea

[@HopeButMiserable]

Don't be like arthur

[@diarmuidlyonsnolan8687]

@@fullmetal1013 I think you need better friends.

[@fullmetal1013]

@@diarmuidlyonsnolan8687 dont have any

[@diarmuidlyonsnolan8687]

@@fullmetal1013 Sorry to hear that

[@Owenlance]

It's very shocking to me that we are in 2024. At this point, there are literally AI applications where you can have friends, a boyfriend, and even create relationships with options for calls. The universe that 'Best Friend' showed in 2018 is approaching... and in the end, it's up to us to have the strength and mental health to face the changes in the world and not lose what being human means to each of us.

[@brokenmilk5885]

Wooah, So I keep on coming back to this short, and I just noticed that at 3:11 right before Arthur's friends spawn back in you can actually see the attacker in the doorway. If they weren't there, he could have seen and potentially evaded his attacker. The level of detail in this is astounding!

[@PoojaRani-qd7pw]

Your detail observation is crazy

[@Da.realslimskeey15]

Yo that gave me chills down my spine when I saw that

[@jceline.asuque]

I noticed that too!

[@HeartTheEternal]

And notice his attacker had multiple scars (when his beanie gets removed) like the one Arthur has now. That guy has attacked a bunch of other peoples head peice thing.

[@larcovilia8792]

I can't see it wtf Oh wait nvm, that fucking scared me :")

[@shaniceb.5129]

I thought near the end of the video the guy would finally learn he didn’t friends in the form of holograms. Boy was I wrong.

[@gracehaven5459]

Yeah I was really hoping the twist would be he made a real friend at the end :(

[@junglethemednightclub831]

Wouldn’t be true to human nature, we can’t just stop like that, more often than not we do want we want

[@akunamii4823]

Shanice B. Lol me too

[@anya3765]

Same

[@chocofloofer126]

I knew he was going to get a new one thought he scene made me think he might not have. He was too far into his own addiction to not get a new one

[@beameh2506]

the way she moves like jumping floating when she saids "follow me" reminds me of some scenes from perfect blue an i love it

[@taco2808]

exactly

[@jewelmillian3719]

Glad someone else got Perfect Blue vibes from that scene.

[@daisyjeancobrado804]

oh! me too!

[@AscendantStoic]

And Paprika ... clearly someone who worked on this animation is a big fan of the late Satoshi Kon.

[@Krispy-Klips]

bro, Perfect Blue is a fuckin trip, and this totally gave me the same vibes.

[@c4knowledge562]

This is really scary as this technology is now even realistic with chatgpt, apple glasses or even neuralink

[@jasontvghost]

Don't do cyber drugs

[@Niks-Naks]

Yeh they no good for u

[@grayowl167]

JessTVghost Looks like D.A.R.E is gonna make a come-back (I don't know if this program is still in elementary schools, but I hope so).

[@bick5601]

IT'S FROM JAPAAAAN

[@samuneechan]

I learned that after seeing BMC x,D so now I'm surrounder in mountain dew red

[@samuneechan]

@@bick5601 xDDDD Yes

[@oliverkirkland420]

I wonder how many units that homeless guy had been through...

[@nigawhiga1996]

at 3:45 you can see a scar for each one he's had on that side. I count 7, thought there might be another one on the other side of his face.

[@animelover9391]

Ne ne papa

[@aminishnamedvaati]

Now that I’m a Hetalian, I see hetalians everywhere.

[@Miro.]

@@aminishnamedvaati youve seen them, you just didnt take notice until youve become a fan

[@CineMairon]

@@aminishnamedvaati Hetalian since 2009, still excited when it happens ;)

[@bleh1569]

I was shouting NOO at my screen when the voice said "hey Arthur"

[@albertohuerta6963]

bleh *hi Arthur*

[@herusolares5320]

I GOT A PLAN, ARTHUR!

[@delsinyman3300]

ruthra is Arthur backwards the more you know

[@yippedoodah]

And I say hey! HEY!

[@jadeneatsrocks]

When I heard about younger people spending all their time talking to Character AI it made me think of this film. I was at a family reunion and my sister was talking to one of our younger more distantly related cousins and she talked about how she spends all her time talking to Character AI chat bots and doesn’t really have friends at school (I wanna say this kid was like somewhere between 10 to 12 years old). This is not healthy. Monitor what the young people in your life are looking at online. My cousin had to ban her youngest from watching youtube on her own, but a lot of parents don’t even know what character ai chat bots are.

[@davidbaird3453]

Hopefully in real life they don’t invent that best friend thing otherwise we’re all messed up

[@sneepsnorp1404]

It seems to be a metaphor for addiction.

[@ginihall1234]

Or social media

[@iwillhaveorder1592]

David Baird its scary

[@thanoscarthanoscar219]

You know, that sounds like that would make a shitload of money

[@maccychee3858]

@@thanoscarthanoscar219 never be alone? I'm sold lmao

[@ilaya1211]

5:00 did he finally learn the value of real friends? 5:06 alright nevermind

[@justsomeonewholikestodraw6309]

Ikr?

[@leonguide93]

Value of real friends? We never see his "real friends", it's implied he has none. The point was about companies exploiting human emotions for profit, not an anti-progress one.

[@ilaya1211]

@@leonguide93 Well, you can have a "Best friend" but he for sure was disconnected from humanity, at some point after losing his best friend, you see a scene where everyone are just hanging out with their *Real friends* and he is the only "crazy one" , he got to the point where he didn't give a damn, he wanted his imaginary friends even if it required to punch real life people or be rude towards them.

[@leonguide93]

@@ilaya1211 there are some people who have company there, but there are also people by themselves, in the end they're all standing in the line for fuel for the "best friend" product, they are all in need of a virtual best friend. I would not say that just showing other people in the line having friends is a proper context narrative to say the main character also has friends. I'd say its main use was to put in contrast his desperation to advance the plot.

[@leonguide93]

@@elianamachuca6918 you definitely are completely unable to put yourself in someone elses shoes

[@planetwasabi]

SPOILER: I'm glad that it had a realistic ending of him just going back to what he's used to and his "safe place" instead of using this situation as a trigger to motivate him to start fresh without relying on the virtual best friend. I think it reminds the viewers that even though they expect that a change is possible, it's not easy for them to change overnight, and even after what seems like a huge situation that could've motivated him to change, most people will end up going back to their "easy way out". I think that this short film is good for more people to watch.

[@manchalasunitha5596]

I agree with you're statement ☺

[@gunjansingh1534]

True

[@saloni.sharma]

I think otherwise. Nothing changes unless you at least try.

[@Br0wnEyedQueen]

and it fits perfectly with the short film format, it would be difficult to relate unless you did something like a montage, as soon as he gets his tech riped out, he experiences so much fear and isolation which is what the Best Friend promised to combat so, of course, he would go back to the normalcy and comfort, there's also the implication of addiction too...sorry not the best at analysis...

[@OphiuchiChannel]

But how did he got his second pod?

[@CrimFang]

i honestly could see this as the future of us as we continue making these ai stuff

[@ShaeGuy]

I think it's funny that people keeps saying that he hasn't "learned his lesson". What lesson was he suppose to get out of this? If anything, it's more of a reason to get back to his virtual friends. Arthur ironically got attacked by a real person, and had a bunch of real people walk around him when he's having an episode. It's no surprise that nothing is different. lol

[@becca4143]

People completely miss the allegory of addiction, & what drives someone further into it. It’s a perfect example of how ignorant a large portion of society is to the struggle of self destructive habits & why they’re used if someone is barely able to cope.

[@citruscarnival]

I guess to him, yeah, it'd just be a reason to keep having "best friends," but clearly these friends can't help him when he's hurt or give him authentic love. Real people can, it's just hard to find the ones who will.

[@eleonorakalinic6063]

It’s because the people in the world he lives in are so used to having these imaginary friends that are always so happy, and they are so addicted to it that they can’t live without it and don’t know how to interact with other real people

[@summerskull9379]

Agreed, real people suck

[@lagopusvulpuz1571]

That virtual reality is Arthur comfort zone. It’s hard getting out of your comfort zone.

[@DeadMatterNews]

I think everybody missed the fact he celebrated his birthday by himself

[@lman2710]

Yeah man, nobody noticed

[@kathryn500]

I think we all noticed? I mean, i did so

[@lman2710]

@@NicasiusDeVries i like the emoji you put at the end. Keep staying posite man: don't let them hurt you

[@spiritoutcast9087]

I don't think there was a single viewer that missed that...

[@PancakemonsterFO4]

Dead Matter News so like always?

[@MegumiHayashida]

This is like a perfect portrayal of being addicted to social media while living with anxiety & loneliness during your late 20's/early 30's... Brilliant animation btw. Loved the Paprika'ish vibes too.

[@CoolioMaister]

I thought it was the addiction of mob mentality when it comes to trendy things: "Everyone has to have one! Even if it doesn't suit you" along with social loniless.

[@MegumiHayashida]

@@CoolioMaister Yes, the scene at 2:30 implies this 'trendy' behaviour that keeps affecting everyone including myself. We became dependent of these brand new gadgets to the point ppl commit assaults in order to possess them. It's an escape from pain (reality).

[@vgmaster9]

I can totally relate to this.

[@ishaharris6684]

Agreed

[@majestictrex2222]

The paprika vibes are so strong! Especially in the end, like two worlds crashing together 👌

[@mykenziedotcom]

The way that Cami bounces away to show Arthur the vending machine is just like Mima's hallucination in Perfect Blue!! Brilliant allusion

[@Ssocdtb]

Allusion? More like reference/Easter egg

[@q._.Gio._.p]

"did you take your joy today?"

[@sarahara2824]

I got more ships than the navy 10/10

[@LS95774]

Don't be a downer

[@Loonaurtheworld]

@@LS95774 Too late bitch you can't stop me

[@barb2977]

[take] [remember]

[@jordanlee4629]

Fellow army??

[@jadekai8208]

Hmm...... I wonder why youtube recommended this to me... 😂 😂 😂

[@dr_pee]

Same haha

[@wijaya4565]

Because.. you don't have a friend?

[@MikeMine2000]

because its really well made and deserves attention?

[@okletstalksaboutitdailydra2675]

bbyekai kai lol the shade

[@cynthiamacaringue5650]

Sam haha

[@dangelowilson2475]

5:15 Never noticed the dense amount of foreshadowing that came with the theme song until now. “We are your best friends, FOREVER” it’s almost like the creators of Best Friend put a warning label on their product in the form of a catchy little jingle. In a way they’re advertising your inevitable addiction.

[@Avenue-Angel]

facts

[@serwoelobsang1349]

1 comment let me fix that

[@Hjahaiainai]

Dude you are BRILLIANT

[@dictionaryofmugs4773]

I watched this video when I was just a little girl. Maybe I didn't want to accept it and I didn't want to understand it, also because I lived as an outcast from all the children. In fact, from there I began to create my own world, paracosm is the exact term. Now that I've grown up and I'm understanding the dangers of my addiction to the imaginary world, this video is much clearer to me. I avoided it and many times KZbin offered it to me, I was afraid to see myself in that character again and I think this proves how wonderful the work behind this project is ❤️

[@BrianTubac]

Art really is something

[@minervasucicorbegoso2097]

That shot when he's getting punched by the robber and his "best friends" just stay there happily, without doing anything about it or even worrying for him is amazing, it made me feel so betrayed and so pissed at the main character for not snapping after what happened and for buying another best friend device ugh. But how many times we've seen people almost getting killed by an irresponsible use of their phones, not learn anything at the end? It's just the ugly truth, it's already happening and we're all victims of our "best friends".

[@butasimpleidiotwizard]

This could not more clearly be a metaphor for drug use how do you watch this and think it's about fucking phones

[@shunwen958]

well i mean phones can be addicting too. XD

[@butasimpleidiotwizard]

@@shunwen958 drug addiction and phone addiction are literally not at all comparable phenomena in terms of severity and resulting damage to the brain and body, this film is very very clearly about drug addiction

[@shunwen958]

@@butasimpleidiotwizard yeah ik that :/

[@kkdraws9052]

Well they are just holograms in his mind

[@captainjumptoast]

The "camera" work at 4:27 is unreal. That was such a great shot. This was flipping incredible.

[@cutiebunnyamber3447]

is it hard?

[@captainjumptoast]

Probably not crazy hard, just keyframe a 3D background in connection to his head position, but its just a great flipping idea. Awesome artistry.

[@jemimajanvier4706]

This short film was soul grabbing. It shows what happens when what we consume is imaginary because reality is too much of a threat. Living in the corners of our mind is psychologically gratifying, to the point of addiction. Loneliness is not always a choice, it's that people have largely become inaccessible. Notice how everyone had a "best friend." So how could he quit when he knew that no one was waiting for him on the other side? As someone who constantly daydreams, I don't think this film is simply about social media or technology. But it shows that technology has simply aggrandized what we always craved, our own little worlds, our safe space.

[@mollusckscramp4124]

This is really insightful, and makes me think about how technology has influenced things like the landscape of dating culture in the past several years as well

[@cooldude2106]

I also deal with maladaptive daydreaming , so much so that my daydream characters have become my best friends. It is difficult to let go .

[@mr.teobruh977]

Same here, amen brother

[@123TeeMee]

It's really difficult to break away so the best advice is to not try it in the first place, it being anything that makes you happy without the real world value to go along with it, tbh

[@catarinarosario9867]

but if you watch videos about the making of the animation, the co-director says the message of this video is that future is not as bleak or bad as it seems. haha

[@artperson7617]

Something so unnerving is that if you pay attention, the characters don’t really have their own personalities, they only exist with each other and can’t be individual people, this AI/addiction isn’t just taking away the chance for a real friendship, it’s taking away who Arthur is as a person and his “friend” even if she was real, can’t be her own person either because she doesn’t have her own friends and her whole life is Arthur and following her programming.

[@Kutswitsh]

Black Mirror + Detroit: Become Human = This.

[@ranmochizuki2876]

Yes!

[@itsnaimi]

detroit is something completely different, i think u just mean the blue thing they have in their head

[@asble19]

Love, death, and robots!

[@TheHarliestQuinn]

I honestly thought this was a Detroit animation before realizing it was completely different

[@Luigi33-cu1hu]

I was getting Blade Runner 2049 vibes because of the AI hologram.

[@xxmagfracerxx4697]

I guess so many people missed the fact that it was his future self approaching him. Just look at the scar. :)

[@coriej2284]

XxMagfracerxX I KNEW IT, I THOUGHT HE LOOKED LIKE ARTHUR

[@explodingears]

XxMagfracerxX or maybe it happened the same thing to the other guy.. if ure right, then they would have put other clues like same clothes for example

[@xxmagfracerxx4697]

@@explodingears same clothes would have been too obvious I think. It is more like a secret fact.. I'd say .. and it shows how the guy ended up. Dependent on "best friend", even as much to attack another guy with a knife..

[@dracibatic2433]

Its not his future self. his scar doesnt line up with his eyebrow the right way

[@xxmagfracerxx4697]

@@dracibatic2433 When getting old that's normal. Of course it doesn't line up 100%. And I don't know if the creator could have done it 100%. But the end with the guy looking in the mirror, it is not only to show that he started again with "best friend", but to show the similarity as well.. why else would the old guy look thaat similar to the guy? He could have looked much more different. That's no coincidence dude

[@BrownsdragonStudios]

"And that's what friends are for, right?" ...interesting when his so-called friends just stood there while he was being attacked-not even a word of comfort or encouragement.

[@L.A.M.B_B4]

Encouragement is being added next patch.

[@maccychee3858]

@@L.A.M.B_B4 aw yeah you go Arthur! Cammie I'm actually dying wtf

[@wanted__fundaddy5348]

brownsdragon well not much a technological hallucination can really do. They don’t seem to be able to actually interact or understand the outside world

[@ariannaabreu3532]

This short film is talking about drug addiction

[@beautifullyinsane233]

There not real,they can't touch neither feel.

[@tristanferrer0192]

My best friend from Canada died years ago just as I was about to finish high school. It left me a sinking feeling in my chest just knowing that he didn't have the most stable support system he could ever want. It's always just back and forth with him and foster homes. He moved from one city to another until we linked and became like brothers. He passed away due to complications with his illness at that time (it was serious just 'cause it was bordering on cancer) and my family and I ended up donating almost half of our savings for the funeral arrangements. I had to be thankful to him-he kept me going. I've had to deal with such high stakes problems just get to where I am today.

[@miiiyo2]

This is pretty dark. But as it is so dark, it is amazing and such a compelling short to watch. In the end, it just shows how humans never learn from their mistakes.

[@xerxer9251]

Humans never learn from their mistakes???

[@sunorcio3901]

xd

[@spiderscum7290]

Or the guy has an addiction and that can lead down a dark road

[@kennethravanilla1422]

loneliness is what made him turn back. we all know someone does something to prevent from feeling lonely

[@harlowitter3060]

Some do learn

[@Projectlalo]

I think this short film is a lot darker AND more hopeful than people initially realize. Watch it again. If you pay attention you'll notice that the main character is WAY over-abusive with his usage. There's a shot at 1:27 showing that he's the only one of few people up and using at that time and the only one seemingly using that much. I mean, it is his birthday but still, excess is excess. Then a minute later at 2:27 you get a glimpse at other people that despite this "Terrifying new technology" have somehow managed to form seemingly normal adult relationships. You see a couple, some friends, a distracted mother and child... There's more than one scene like this. There's some kind of club scene later on where you see people out in crowds interacting with other real humans. Another thing to note are the scars on the attacker's head (3:43) look familiar (5:00)? The attacker serves not only as a would-be wake up call but also as an omen of what the main character's life can come to if he keeps up with his addiction. Which he does. Now, the reason I say this short is more hopeful is because it very intelligently shows that it is not very likely that we will become victims of some ominous/all-powerful new tech. What this actually shows is a brilliant picture of addiction and how it is not the product to blame for our abuse but rather our lack of self-control or naiveté that is to blame for our own downfall. In other words, using is not bad, abusing is the real problem, or we are still in control/still have a choice. The reason I say it's darker than we may realize is because this isn't depicting some horrible dystopian future, this is depicting us as we are NOW. We have addicting new technology that can take over our lives and leave us quite lonely and and make us dependent upon it. There are people that exist TODAY that will waste away any spare moment of their life being entertained, to the point of addiction, to the point of violence, to the point of death. Look up stories of people dying whilst playing a video game. The reason this is so terrifying is because this could happen to you now. this IS you now. You are constantly in the presence of some new technology that demands your attention and the choice is in your hands will you hand your life, attention, time, to the make believe to the newest and coolest THING in favor of actual relationships with PEOPLE? Or, will you "wake up" in a sense and use this new tech as a mere tool to your advantage, practicing disciplined control over IT and not letting IT control you?

[@TheRoxas94]

Guest_C thank you so much for this comment :) you really get our message

[@JudeLucca]

Daaaaamn! I love your comment! I think you got the message ♥ Thank you so much!!!

[@varunvnair92]

Nailed it. You have the approval of all the directors ;)

[@alexschmiedel]

Profound statement.

[@Projectlalo]

Oh goodness! Thank you so much! I don’t really know what came over me, I don’t usually comment on videos. I guess this just struck a chord. You all have a beautifully executed film here. Writing, direction, animation, 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽