I Hear a New World

“I Hear a New World” is a documentary short film that reflects on the relevance and persistence of nostalgia and tradition during a time of rapid technological advancement and societal change. The film highlights the memories and musings of 8 college students, who were all Class of 2020 high school seniors and whose senior traditions were inevitably brought entirely online due to the Covid-19 global pandemic to varied degrees of success. In rambling, thoughtful delivery, the Gen Z interviewees provide insight into their pre-pandemic internet obsession that led to their teenage reclusivity and how this perspective changed greatly following the forced isolation of social distancing and the experience of fully online school. Others detail their expectations for traditions like prom and graduation ceremonies and how it felt to manage these expectations during a time defined by unpredictability. The disembodied voices of the students float over visuals depicting school spaces devoid of people, highlighting the poignancy of their loneliness and vulnerability in their memories and reflections. The film’s conclusion reflects on a broader note, with answers to the same question I posed to each of them: “do you think that life could be entirely online having now experienced its reality?” While the answers ultimately came down to a resounding “no,” they all expressed a similar view of the internet as something indiscernible; a social and moral gray area. The film leaves the viewer with one question: is the internet a purgatory?