Hey, Mia here!
I just had to talk about The Garden of Heart (A szív kertje) because, wow, it hit home in so many ways. This surreal short from Olivér Hegyi is an absolute gem that explores the very real, very messy experience of dealing with self-doubt as a creator. It’s one of those films that feels incredibly personal, yet deeply relatable. If you’ve ever questioned whether your art is “good enough,” you’ll know exactly what I mean.
The film centers on a young artist waiting for his big interview at the Academy of Fine Arts. As he sits there, anxious and uncertain, his inner demons appear in the form of bizarre garden pests—slugs, alien caterpillars, you name it—feeding off his low self-esteem. It’s totally surreal, but the core of it is so real. We’ve all had that voice in our head telling us our work isn’t good enough or that we don’t belong in the spaces we’re striving to be in.
Hegyi’s approach to this is genius. He’s very open about his own struggles with self-esteem, and it’s clear he made this film to confront his ego and its automatic reactions. “I wanted to make a film about my ego in a funny way,” he says, and that’s exactly what he’s done. The absurdity of these inner demons—while exaggerated in their visual form—feels like the perfect reflection of the weird, conflicting thoughts we all have when we’re putting ourselves out there.
But what I really love about The Garden of Heart is the way Hegyi brings in his passion for naive art. The simple, unpolished animation style matches the story so perfectly. The main character’s work may be called “all over the place” by some reviewers, but I actually see that as a compliment! As an indie creator, I’ve come to embrace the “messiness” of my own projects, and this film really celebrates that unrefined quality. It’s not about creating something flawless—it’s about being honest, being true to your voice, and not hiding the imperfections that make it real.
I think that’s what makes this film so special. It’s not about achieving perfection; it’s about the courage to embrace vulnerability in your art. Hegyi, like so many of us, struggles with his inner critic—but instead of letting it silence him, he used it as fuel for this beautifully imperfect film. And even though he admits that the project didn’t magically erase his self-doubt, he’s learned to live with it more comfortably. That’s a powerful takeaway for anyone creating art, whether you’re working with animation, live-action, or any other medium.
The Garden of Heart isn’t just an exploration of self-doubt; it’s a celebration of the messy, beautiful, imperfect process that is art. It’s a reminder that the journey of creation doesn’t have to be flawless—it just has to be real. And honestly, I think that’s where the magic happens.
