'William and Santiago Simultaneous' is a mini-documentary which portrays the life of two babies born approximately 2 years and 8 months apart, with William being the elder brother.

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The whole film is a playful cinematic “spot the differences” game. Sequences of both babies are shown in parallel as they are being breastfed and as they are playing and cooing. To be honest, the viewer could be fooled that the two are twins had it not been for the date stamp at the beginning.

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As for spotting actual differences, there are not that many. Except for their clothes, the noises they make and the disorderly manner in which both babies eat, the two are actually pretty similar.  The scenes shown in the film are the crucial moments in a newborn's life: the first time being breastfed, the first time playing with toys, the first time eating baby food, the first time having a bath, the first time outdoors, in an airport, and many more. At one point, even if they are born 2.5 years apart, the two brothers seems to share a musical moment in perfect harmony on the maracas.

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Following their evolution step by step, another interesting sequence in the film is when William and Santiago take their actual first steps, with their father as a “coach” and savior for when they stumble.

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The two children are brought up in the same nurturing environment and are basically having the same experiences. This makes the audience ask an important question: how similar will they actually be once they grow up? The film could make a case for a study in behaviorism asking the question: how much do external factors influence the personality of an individual?

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Director Alexandra Hidalgo ends the short film in a joyful way, having two scenes with the brothers on the couch playing side by side, then merging into just one where the children playfully wrestle.

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Written by Vlad A. G