Have you ever been sat around a dinner table or a night out with friends to find that they attention is caught by something else? It is frustrating and quite frankly rude to plan a night out only to be immersed in the blue and white screen of a smartphone. And while it is an annoyance we have all had to bear, it is even truer that we have been the perpetrator of this act; following every act we do with “that is so my status right now.” But since we have become so addicted to the use of smartphones, iPads and whatever gizmo and thingymabob that is big this year, are we missing out on life?
The short film I Forgot My Phone, written by Charlene deGuzman & Miles Crawford, centres on a day in the life (or a few days) of a woman post-technological boom. Everything she does or tries to do she is met with blank faces and people mindlessly staring at their phones.
If you, like me, first discovered this smash hit on Youtube whilst browsing the internet on your phone then don’t be too alarmed that this movie is judging you. It’s not exactly saying that phone use is bad. What it is saying is our interactions with society have changed so much that we are missing out moments, key moments and face to face interaction because we are so absorbed in them.
This beautifully written movie, acted so well, doesn’t need many words with the awkwardness of being in a three person relationship, one of them being a machine, conveyed so well. It’s asking us to look at the sunsets, enjoy talking to one another and play. Life is not just about information and technology, it is about people and nature. I Forgot My Phone is wonderfully scripted and directed greatly. Now, where the heck did I leave my phone?
