You’re home alone on a lazy summer afternoon and wish you had someone to enjoy bumming around with. We young adults would resort to texting our BFFs, checking out who’s on Tinder, or, perhaps as a last result, daydreaming about the ideal partner or #squad member to hang out with.
But kids (read: younger, more creative adults) have long retreated into the corners of their imaginations to devise some quick company.
Fictitious friends are a staple of childhood; some kids play with dolls and other toys, imbuing them with real-life characteristics and forming real-life attachments. And, according to Psychology Today, by age 7, 37 percent of kids take this imaginary kinship a step further by creating an invisible pal. Whether human, humanoid, or an entirely made-up species (technicolor lions? Why not! Polka-dotted, winged creatures? Sure!), kids care about their imaginary friends as though they were real, going so far as to construct fact conflicts that the pair must resolve.
One such conflict has become a trope in how we discuss imaginary friends in pop culture: what happens to the made-up playmate when a kid outgrows the need for his or her kinship? This summer’s new Pixar flick “Inside Out” addressed the problem when protagonist Riley’s former fictitious friend struggled against becoming obsolete, (spoiler) ultimately sacrificing himself for her happiness, marking the production company’s token tear-jerking scene.
A recently released short film, directed by student filmmaker Kate Tsang, confronts the same quirky, heart-wrenching conflict.
A young girl laughs on her family’s front lawn, rolling around with a faceless, pocket-square wearing man who has seemingly magical powers, turning mundane activities like lunchtime into thrilling adventures. Named Ex, the heroine’s imaginary friend is entering his ninth year in existence -- much longer than most mythical creatures are allowed to stick around. He visits a bureau designed for imaginary friends and learns that he’s eligible for retirement, but declines the offer sternly, hoping to continue working as a trusty sidekick for as long as possible.
To address Ex’s stubbornness, a bureau worker shows him a film called “So You’ve Grown Attached” -- also the name of Tsang’s film -- an instructional video meant to help imaginary friends adjust to life post-friendship. As Ex tries balance remaining relevant while still providing support, he takes up an interest in beauty magazines and makeup in an attempt to help his human counterpart make other human friends. It’s a tender take on growing up and learning to step outside of your own imagination.
Watch “So You’ve Grown Attached” above, and check out other student films at Film School Shorts.
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