Member review

Modern technology is disconnecting us from the real world more and more each day. Phones and social media were supposed to help us and make our lives easier however, it has confined us into a box of laziness and addiction. “Best Friend”, a short film released in 2018, is a prime example of how technology is slowly ruining our lives and soon enough, could cause us to lose our entire sense of reality all together.

“Best Friend” is set in the near-future where making friends and building relationships no longer requires social skills, time or effort. Instead, everyone has a device implanted in their head which causes them to see the “perfect” friend and only they can see them. However, these devices must be charged by a special formula that you drop into your eyes or else the “friend” will disappear and you will be brought back to reality. The story follows Arthur, an extremely lonely man who is addicted to the device and his imaginary friends. The film is disturbing, intriguing and entertaining all at once; it truly is a film worth watching to get you thinking about how broken our world could become.

I loved the animation itself, it is a work of art, especially the contrasting look of the characters. The people who actually exist, such as Arthur, show worn-out, exhausted versions of ourselves and this is clearly indicated by the deep, dark circles around Arthur’s eyes indicating his extreme addiction to his imaginary friends has prevented him from sleeping highlighting his unhealthy lifestyle. Whereas the “best friends” are bright, colourful and full of life. Comparing this to Arthur’s looks, it only descends his sense of reality further, thinking that people like that actually exist when in fact, everyone else is drained and gloomy like him.

The voice actor for Arthur was brilliant as you could hear his desperation to charge his device as he is frantically chasing and calling his imaginary friend. This demonstrates how our addiction to technology is becoming a real danger as Arthur was willing to follow his “friend” wherever she went. All technology can be hacked by some geniuses and “Best Friend” highlights how addiction can cause anyone to do anything modern technology tells them to. This aspect of the film was the most thought-provoking for me and I found it extremely interesting due to Arthur’s naiveté to follow his “friend” due to his extreme addiction to the “perfect” life he lives.

Overall, the short film was so frighteningly realistic with such believable characters living in a dark, familiar world. Although it was a message to society, a warning even, about how this terrible future could become our reality, it was insightful and entertaining at the same time; I would definitely recommend.