Gone are the days where advertisements were there to solely sell you items and services that you simply did not need. The advancement of animation, particularly computer animation, has opened the door for a new and beautiful method of storytelling.
A heart wrenching commercial made to promote Bryd Tavsheden (“Break the Silence”), a Danish NGO that works to help children who are experiencing domestic violence, is working to bring attention to an issue that affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
The video, created by students at The Animation Workshop in Viborg, Denmark, illustrates how children are affected by living in a conflict-driven abusive household, and how “putting on a brave face” can quickly exacerbate the issue.
Founded back in 2002, Break The Silence, previously know as ‘Children in Violent Families,’ is a voluntary association that offers support and guidance to children and young people who are exposed to, or are experiencing violence at home.
Despite its length – the video is just 20 seconds long – the images and story that are presented, are both impactful and moving.
In the beginning of the video, we are presented with a boy who has cracks on his face – as the narrative progresses, we soon learn that the cracks represent the damage he has suffered, both internally and externally, from living in an abusive household. Before going about his day, the boy puts on a smooth, shiny mask to cover the cracks.
When the boy finally returns home and removes the mask, his face appears more cracked and damaged. These few images serve as a reminder that when people – especially children – suffer in silence, the situation is often made worse and can slowly break those who are affected. It also shows us that appearances alone do not give us an accurate insight into someone’s life.
As a statement from the Break The Silence website explains:
“Actively helping children and young people who are victims of physical or psychological violence from family or from a relationship, to recognize and acknowledge their situation, seek help and act upon it. We strive to offer this help through targeted prevention and professionally sound advice via all relevant channels.”
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