In a Heartbeat

In a Heartbeat is a short animated film about Sherwin, a shy high school student who is secretly drawn to Jonathan, the most popular boy in school. Sherwin struggles to keep his feelings hidden, but his own heart escapes from his chest and sets off after Jonathan on its own, threatening to expose what he has been trying to conceal. The film runs four minutes and blends animation, comedy and romance.

The film was directed by Beth David and Esteban Bravo, who also wrote the screenplay, and it was produced through Ringling College of Art and Design together with Lente Curta+. The voice cast includes Nick Ainsworth and Kelly Donohue, both credited with various roles, and the production involved a crew of 54 people. It was released in June 2017.

Audience response has been strong for such a short film. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.6 out of 10 from roughly 4,800 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 8 out of 10 from just over a thousand votes. Those scores, coming from thousands of viewers, indicate that the film found a wide and appreciative audience well beyond its brief runtime.