For many, mental health can not only be a challenge in itself, but can oftentimes be a lonely battle. For PAWS NY, a nonprofit pet organization, pets are not just great companions, but are powerful healing aids.
To highlight the mental health benefits pets can provide, PAWS NY and agency Klick Health launched a heart-tugging short film, The Bridge, focused on the importance of having a pet as a companion during difficult times.
The animated spot is part of PAWS NY’s larger initiative to help New Yorkers overcome physical and financial pet care challenges to maintain the life-saving bond between humans and their animal companions. Written and produced by Klick Health and animated by Lightfarm Studios, the film, inspired by a true story, explores how the characters’ connection ends up saving both their lives.
The four-minute spot, set to the tune of Grammy-winning musician Lou Reed’s 1972 hit “Perfect Day,” shows the story of a lonely New Yorker going about his everyday routine while struggling with suicidal thoughts. With the use of a raw, edgy illustrative style and blue and gray scenery, the film captures the man’s inner turmoil and mental state.
The spot continuous as simultaneously an abandoned dog experiences the same kind of rejection and loneliness as the human until their paths repeatedly cross and a quiet bond begins to grow. The tearjerking film ends on the Brooklyn Bridge with the two meeting again as the man finally takes the dog home and feels a bit more happiness with a new companion by his side.
“I hope ‘The Bridge’ will serve as a catalyst for more life-changing encounters between pets and people, and will help PAWS NY in their fundraising efforts so they can continue ensuring these important, but often overlooked, life-saving bonds form,” Bernardo Romero, co-writer and “maker” at Klick Health, said in a statement.
A fur-ever friend
As mental health remains a significant issue impacting many people, more brands and agencies, such as agency Havas Lisbona, dog food brand The Farmer’s Dog and Whistle Health, stress the important role pets play in their owners’ physical and mental health. For PAWS NY, the vital connection between people and pets is a necessary conversation of awareness.
“Our goal with this film is to get people talking about the positive impact pets can have on our mental health,” Rachel Herman, founder and executive director at PAWS NY, said in a statement. “Now more than ever, it’s important to keep these life-saving connections alive.”
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