A dog learns the true meaning of love in this short film directed by Akemi K. Tosto.

Indy was a dog rescued by Kimmy three years ago. Indy and Kimmy have always been close, no matter what. However, things have changed since Kimmy started a relationship with Craig. As Kimmy and Craig go away for the weekend, Indy is miserable until he meets another dog, Spike, who makes him an offer. Chewing a “miracle bone”, Indy soon becomes a human. When Kimmy looks for Indy and is unable to, she meets the human Indy, who calls himself Jones. She talks to “Jones” about how she loves Indy like family, and this changes Indy’s view on love forever.

This is both a heartwarming and at times, hilarious, short film based on elements of writer/director Akemi K. Tosto’s life. The Japanese-born filmmaker had taken some of her personal elements as a teen up to her dog, who had the same name as the one in the film. The film is about separation anxiety, what love can mean, and finding your inner self.

The cast of characters are wonderful and so natural in this. Daniel Chacon is great as the human Indy, who upon realizing he has changed goes through a scene similar to Big right after Tom Hanks’ transformation from kid to adult. The scene between human Indy aka “Jones” and Kimmy, played by Marisa Mickel, are quite heartwarming even with Chacon’s Indy still having some dog-like reflexes. Spike, the dog who gives Indy the “miracle bone”, is quite funny and is voiced by Alex Kubik. The way he explains to Indy how he can either stay human permanently or turn back to a dog is both romantic and well, pretty funny when it comes to the latter.

Akemi has plans to make a feature film adaptation of this film and has some major names involved. I hope this comes true as this would be a great heartwarming film with some laughs. In the meantime, the short film When I Was a Human is both genuine and at times, pretty funny. Some great performances and a great story make this one to watch, especially if you want to see this become a feature film.

WFG RATING: A

An AKT Pictures production. Director: Akemi K. Tosto. Producer: Chad Dalberg. Writer: Akemi K. Tosto. Cinematography: David Dowell. Editing: Trudy Yee.

Cast: Daniel Chacon, Marisa Mickel, Norman Lehnert, Elinor Baggett, Alex Kubik.