Special Day (7:09)
Dust; IMDb; Short of the Week; Vimeo; YouTube

This 2018 short film was presented by Alter in 2019, but I first saw it through Short of the Week.

On Emily's 18th birthday, all her relatives gather to celebrate. They seem... oddly happy for her. I mean, that's not something that should be odd, but nevertheless, something seems vaguely off. Maybe that was just my take, but I thought Emily seemed a bit confused or uncomfortable with all the congratulations. Anyway, eventually her parents explain to her that everyone in their family is successful in life because of a "gift" they all share, which shows up on each person's 18th birthday (at the exact minute they were born, apparently). Soon, Emily starts to hear a creepy sound from outside the house, and her family wants her to go to the window and look outside. In the dark and otherwise deserted neighborhood, she sees a creepy man standing across the street. When her parents explain who (or what) he is... Emily is understandably creeped out. But it gets worse. I'm not going to spoil what this "gift" actually is, but I will say the whole family is in for a shock.