“Joy and Heron” (2018) by Kyra & Constantin

Out on a fishing trip, Joy, the lovable small dog, tries not to rock his master’s boat while defending it from the worm-stealing Heron

Theme: Friendship

Many epic stories have been written about friendship – and often the ones that stand out tell tales of unlikely friendships. It may be easy to become friends with someone who is a lot like you. But to become friends with someone who you have nothing in common with can be a very special experience. This week, we look at an unlikely friendship between a dog and a heron.

The film ‘Joy and Heron’ takes us on a fishing expedition. Joy, the dog, and his Master, hop into a boat one early morning. When Joy sees fish swimming by in the water and moths flying around him, he jumps with joy. The Master picks out some worms from a can to use as bait and gets busy fishing. Just then, Heron lands on the boat and steals a worm from the Master’s can. Joy gets angry and then gets scolded by his Master for causing a commotion. This goes on, as Heron comes back for more worms. Their conflict dissipates when Joy is able to see Heron not as a bird of prey but as a mother to three tiny herons who refuse to eat anything but worms. Joy decides to help Heron and to his surprise Heron returns the favour.

In just about three minutes, the story is able to effectively demonstrate a change of heart and how simply it can come about. This film made me wonder how different our lives would be if we all followed an active practice of empathy.