A Christmas-themed short film has gone viral, with some viewers claiming it beats every John Lewis ad from the past few years.
Phil Beastall, a filmmaker, shared the short film on Nov. 18, after John Lewis released the 2018 advert starring Elton John.
Despite being made in 2014, the short film still managed to garner millions of views, touching the hearts of the viewers.
The 32-year-old filmmaker told Good Morning Britain: “People don’t always need a huge budget, just an impactful narrative that gets the message across.” He seems to know what he’s talking about as his short film has gone viral, garnering over six million views on Facebook.
The 2018 John Lewis advert reportedly cost the company almost $9 million, while Beastall’s cost a mere $64.
His short film, titled “Love is a Gift,” shows the story of a man ticking off the days till Christmas, seemingly in anticipation of the festivities and gifts. Instead, he opens up a cassette box, and listens to the last tape—his mother’s final Christmas message from beyond the grave.
By this point in the short film, most people are reaching for their tissues.
“I just really wanted to create something that would resonate with people as I thought especially in today’s society we kind of just need that reminder that we are not really defined by our careers and materialism, actually family does come first,” Beastall said on GMB.
