The video: A Dutch dad has created a time-lapse video compressing the growth of his daughter — from newborn to 12-year-old — into two minutes and 35 seconds. (See the video below.) The clip, called "Portrait of Lotte," consists of snippets filmmaker Frans Hofmeester shot over 600 weeks of Lotte's life, starting with images of her cooing and spitting up as a baby. The girl then transforms before the viewer's eyes, as her hair grows longer and she begins to talk, smile, pout, frown, and mature while her father films. In the week since Hofmeester posted the video on Vimeo, it has been viewed 1 million times. He also posted a similar look at his son, Vince, age 9, and says he'll keep the project going to track their young lives.
The reaction: This is "very impressive," says Carolyn Castiglia at Babble. Sure, other time-lapse videos have gone viral online, but you can always trust the Dutch to put their own artsy and "quirky" spin on things. Anyone with a small kid knows what a "remarkable feat of patience" it must have been, for dad and kids alike, says Melanie Hick at The Huffington Post. But what a reward! Hofmeester got to spend tons of time with Lotte and Vince, plus he has an artifact showing them "smile, cry, squeal, and yawn their way" through childhood. It's so easy to let time fly by in "the daily grind" of parenting, says Julie Ryan Evans at The Stir. "So I always love the reminders that come along and stop me in my tracks," forcing me "to take a breath and soak it all in." But I also hate them, as they "make me desperately sad about the fleeting time we have with our children." Take a look at "Portrait of Lotte" for yourself:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Do smartphone bans in schools work?The Explainer Trials in UK, New Zealand, France and the US found prohibition may be only part of the solution
-
Doom: The Dark Ages – an 'exhilarating' prequelThe Week Recommends Legendary shooter adds new combat options from timed parries to melee attacks and a 'particularly satisfying' shield charge
-
7 US cities to explore on a microtripThe Week Recommends Not enough vacation days? No problem.
