Apple released a short film crafted entirely with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, showcased on its official YouTube channel. The release drew attention from various outlets, including Benzinga, highlighting how mobile devices can captivate audiences with high-quality storytelling.
The film is titled “Little Garlic.” It follows the journey of a young Chinese girl who battles with dissatisfaction about her appearance. Through growth and resilience, she learns to navigate self-doubt and discovers strength as she matures. Social media serves as a backdrop to the narrative, intertwining with the evolving bond between the father and daughter as they unexpectedly gain the power to alter their facial appearances in a magical way.
With a runtime just over 15 minutes, the project showcases a polished collaboration. The director is the American filmmaker Marc Webb, while the cast features Chinese film star Fan Wei. The script benefited from the input of renowned Chinese writer Pan Iran, who contributed to shaping the dialogue and core themes.
Described as a celebration of self-discovery set against the start of a new lunar year, the story invites viewers to reflect on identity, image, and authenticity in a modern world where technology and networks influence perception. The official video describes the film as a captivating journey that examines how personal growth can emerge through confronting insecurities and embracing one’s true self amid contemporary life.
Upon release, the YouTube clip drew a large audience, garnering tens of thousands of views within a short period and earning a significant number of likes. The platform’s comment section for the video was disabled, shaping the viewer experience through the film itself rather than dialogue in the comments. The project stands as a notable example of how mobile cinema can tell intimate stories with cinematic ambition, leveraging familiar devices to create a sense of immediacy and accessibility.
In the broader context of Apple’s creative explorations, the work exemplifies a trend toward telling universal stories through accessible technology. It invites audiences to consider how devices we carry daily can be used not only for communication but as tools for artistic storytelling that resonates across cultural boundaries and age groups. The film also prompts reflection on the pressures of appearance and the power of imagination to reshape how people see themselves and others, underscoring the enduring human desire for self-acceptance and courage in the face of change.
Overall, Little Garlic emerges as a compact, emotionally focused narrative that blends fantasy elements with grounded emotional beats. It demonstrates how a short film can balance wonder with personal revelation, inviting viewers to think about their own relationships with image, identity, and the online world. The collaboration between a major tech brand, acclaimed filmmakers, and a diverse cast signals an ongoing interest in producing expressive cinema that is both accessible and meaningful to audiences in Canada, the United States, and beyond.