Fireflies

Fireflies is a 2012 short drama produced for the Jubilee Project to raise awareness about autism. Its director is Jason Y. Lee, who also produced the award-winning documentary Accepted (2021). It is the story of the friendship that grows between a lonely boy and a girl who is autistic and is too shy to talk. The message of the film is that friendship speaks louder than words.

Peter (Jonathan Choi) moves to a new house and meets his new neighbour, a shy girl named Annie (Emily Hall). The two children start writing messages to each other from their bedroom windows. However, when Peter goes to Annie's house with a gift, she runs away. Her mother (Anina Alamia) explains that Annie is autistic and finds it hard to talk face-to-face. Can their new friendship survive?

Overall, the film is alright. The story is heartwarming because the boy never gives up on his new friend. The acting is mixed. Emily Hall plays the part of timid, sweet Annie well, but Jonathan Choi's performance was not convincing. We didn't know how his character felt. Finally, the soundtrack was a little distracting and we felt the music didn't seem to fit the movie.

We rate Fireflies G because even a 2-year-old can watch it, but children over 9 years old and adults might get bored. I rate it 8/10 pancakes for teaching kids about difference and being respectful and because it is polite with no violence.