0:00-0:04: The scene opens up to a family singing happy birthday as a camera focuses on a girl behind a lit birthday cake. You can tell that the girl just turned 9 years old by the fact that there are 9 birthday candles in the cake. Right before the young girl blows out the cake, her grandma, or what I’m guessing is her grandma, says, “make a wish!”

0:05-0:14: Multiple scenes of the girls daily life shows up about 2 seconds apart. They show the girl doing normal things such as putting on lipstick and dressing up. The mother asks her about her homework and a boy named Adam even kisses her on the cheek.

0:15-0:19: The first of multiple scenes is a bit more special than the others. As the girl is sleeping in the car, over the radio, even though it is very fast they say, “…for a general strike.” Hinting about some kind of military actions. It is one of the many hints in the video. Other parts of this section are just more evidence that her family and her live a normal, what seems to be, upper middle class lifestyle. One other scene that is important for the future was a scene where she puts on a frog mask.

0:20-0:21: Another really fast hint is in this scene where the girl is facing away from a television while the rest of the family is facing away. The television quickly says, “Violent clashes with British…”

0:22-0:23: Once again another hint on the radio where the announcer says, “Live ammunition…” I think that these hints over the radio and television help strengthen the idea that they live in a peaceful place. The reason it helps strengthen is because just like we live, we hear the news over the radio, even though it doesn’t affect us directly. This visual argument shows a case where the viewer feels like the family is safe, however the family is directly affected.

0:24-0:24: A quick scene where the father seems to tell another person that they deserve to get shot. This shows a bit of a straying of the path from the beginning. Almost as if things are getting darker.

0:27-0:27: In the background the mother is reading a newspaper that says, “Government declares martial law.” Also, though it may only in this particular scene, the girl is no longer smiling.

0:28-0:28: The girl watches a jet fly overhead, affirming the fact that the government had declared martial law. We can assume that the jet is military because normal jet planes are rare and the sound the jet made makes us realize that it is flying close to the ground.

0:29-0:30: We can see the family rushing to their car to pack what seems to be food and supplies.

0:30-0:32: The news with the same reporter as all the previous says, “Air strikes of rebel positions…” this makes us realize that their must be a civil war going on where the girl lives. The father takes a piece of paper off the girls mouth with causes her to lose her smile. This shows that the father is less playful from before, and more serious.

0:33-0:35: The lights flicker, which worries the girl as seen by her being tight in her bed covers. Their must be fighting or some kind of ruckus outside. Loud booms can be heard, one can only assume it’s some kind of bombing.

0:35-0:37: The girl seems to be panicked as she runs down the stairs with her family. The girl says something which I can’t put to words but after she says it the dad says, “Go, go!”

0:37-0:38: The girl is in her basement, cuddling with her parents. There must of been bombing nearby and they went underground to stay safe.

 0:39-0:42: The girl sneezes, signifying that she had caught a cold. She then seems to be trying to drink from an empty bottle which means their supplies must be running low. She is then given what looks like the last bit of medicine for her cold. Her mother can be seen in the background trying to get some water from the sink, however it does not seem to be working.

0:42-0:45: The family leaves their house probably due to lack of supplies. Their seems to be mass panic and lots of conversions going off when suddenly a bomb hits just behind the girl. The dad tells the girl to get into the car.

0:46-0:50: In these few scenes, the girl is in the back of the car very scared and dirty. She cringes when she hears gunshots go off from outside the car. Also from the radio you can barely hear, “Forces advance…”

0:51-0:52: The car seems to have crashed into a wall as gunshots are heard from the background and the mother and daughter are running away. The mother screams and they continue running.

0:52-0:55: Gas appears and the mother coughs. The mother holds a gas mask on the girl as she continues to cough and move through the teargas.

0:56-1:00: The family seems to stop for a bit and regain their bearings. There is one scene where the girl discovers that her hair is falling our, only exemplifying her living conditions. The mother continues coughing giving a hint that she might be terribly sick.

1:00-1:02: Suddenly shots are heard again as the girl starts to run. It seems the father gets stuck behind a gate as the girl screams, “Daddy!” The mother and daughter are then together crying and grieving over the loss of the father.

1:04-1:08: The girl seems to have made it to some government care center where a soldier pinches her cheek in an attempt to get the girl to smile. She is then wearing a patients gown as a doctor takes care of her.

1:09-1:19: In this final scene, it appears the grandma is singing happy birthday to the girl holding a tin with only a single candle in it. I can only imagine that the mother must of passed away from whatever she got sick from or else she would’ve been there. Like in the beginning, the grandma tells her to make a wish. However, this time the girl refuses to blow out the candle. She must of realized from her first wish in the beginning that maybe wishes don’t come true. The scene ends with her staring into the camera, almost as if she’s looking at you.

1:22-1:25: The final message pops up saying, “Just because it isn’t happening here, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

This message is extremely powerful at getting it’s point across. They let you see the little girl having a happy, normal life with her family, like any child should. however, they then show you the reality of the situation and everything she ends up going through. It is a harsh, yet effective, reminder of what is happening in Syria and other parts of the world. It really makes you want to support foundations like the save the children foundation.

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