Selfish Father Abandons Adopted Girl Roadside, Looks In Mirror, Watches Daughter Change In Fictional Film

Dec 16, 2021

There’s no doubt that art can change the world. Whether it’s a moving poem, a political novel or an amateur short film, artists often shed light on society’s injustices more effectively than factual, straightforward works of non-fiction. The Hungarian filmmaker Zsófia Zsemberi certainly made use of art’s incredible ability to affect change in her 2015 short film entitled “Gift.”

The film, described as a “gift to all living creatures on the planet,” opens with a wealthy man as he drives to an orphanage. Although the film is without dialogue, it’s clear that the man adopts a young, red-haired girl after he arrives.

Save for a doll, the red-haired girl doesn’t seem to take anything with her as she drives home with her new dad. At this point in the story, the film’s tone is buoyant and positive, as the father smiles and playfully rubs his daughter’s head. As the red-haired girl enters her new home, the atmosphere is equally positive. Her new mother gives her a hug, and her sister seems thrilled to meet her for the first time.

The film cuts to scenes of the red-haired girl playing outside with her new family — and yet, it’s difficult to shake the feeling that there’s something off about their relationship. In almost every scene, the red-haired girl seems like a mere accessory, as if she isn’t really part of the family.

But it’s at her sister’s birthday party that the film’s tone completely changes. The red-haired girl knocks over a glass of wine, and from then on, the film shows the family’s growing impatience with their new addition.

The red-haired girl goes up to her new father and hands him her doll as if she wants his attention, but he hands it back and goes back to work, ignoring her needs. After a series of similar episodes, we see the red-haired girl surrounded by office supplies that she’s strewn across the room. And that’s the final straw.

In a gut-wrenching scene, the red-haired girl's adoptive father puts her in the car, drives her to the middle of nowhere and leaves her behind with the doll. 

But there’s an incredible twist. As the man looks back in his rearview mirror, we see that the red-haired girl has transformed into a dog. The message is clear: If you wouldn’t abandon a child, then you shouldn’t abandon a pet either.

The film ends with an explicit message to drive it home: “Be responsible. Give, adopt wisely.”

What makes Zsemberi’s film so brilliant is the way it plays with its audience’s emotions. The twist at the end forces the viewer to confront the immorality of abandoning a pet. What’s more, it becomes clear that every scene was planned with this reveal in mind.

If you rewatch the film, it is apparent that there were signs that the red-haired girl might be a stand-in for a dog. She doesn’t speak throughout the film, and when she plays with her new parents, she plays catch, which upon further inspection looks more like a game of fetch. The mess she creates at home — rolling around in a blanket surrounded by office supplies — is also quite typical for a dog.

The video’s comment section speaks to how powerful Zsemberi’s film is.

“I’ve seen this video many times and have shown people. Each and every time I watch it, I know what’s going to happen, I end up having the worst heartache and teary eyes. This should be spread all over. No matter how much it hurts to spread it, it’s better to have the knowledge than to openly ignore the information,” one viewer writes.

“That's really powerful. Such a strong message,” a commenter adds.

Even though Zsemberi’s film is over six years old, it continues to resonate today. In fact, it is perhaps even more relevant, as the COVID-19 pandemic saw a wave of families who abandoned their pets.

As Fortune reported in July 2021, shelters in Los Angeles and New York City were nearly full after families who got pets during the pandemic abandoned them as life returned to normal.

"We received prior to the pandemic five to 10 inquiries per month for people who couldn't care for their dogs anymore. That's like doubled since in recent months," said Chloe Esperiquette, a development coordinator at an adoption center in Los Angeles, in an interview with Fortune.

The Humane Society of South Mississippi (HSSM) witnessed a similar phenomenon in the summer of 2020, largely because families were not able to afford their pets after losing their jobs.

Luckily, the HSSM stepped in to help families keep their pets. 

“We have all kinds of different programs in place that we can assist these people in order to keep the pets in their homes rather than them having to be dropped off at the shelter or surrendered,” Katie King of HSSM told local outlet WLOX 13.

What do you think about Zsemberi’s film? Do you think it gets the message across? Let us know — and be sure to pass this on.