The Short that Forces You to Face the Unsettling Truth of the Digital Age

Earlier this week, I threw my backpack on top of my bed upon arriving home from class. Before even taking my shoes off, I got my computer out and did my habitual scroll through my Twitter feed. Within a few seconds, I opened Facebook and continued to scroll until I saw a link to a short film that debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival called Noah. I figured I'd give it a shot, because I thought it was interesting that the short took place on a teenage boy's computer screen for the entire 17 minutes. The film was unlike anything I have ever seen done before. It did not take me into a different world. It did not act as a diversion from my every day life. It showed me a world all too familiar.

If you haven't already seen Noah, you need to be watching it right now. Unfortunately, the original video has been taken off of YouTube. Here's a different upload, but I'm not sure how long it will be before it's taken down. If it isn't working by the time you read this, then I suggest taking some time to search for it. It's worth it.

Noah begins with the high school protagonist logging onto his computer. His desktop picture of a girl and a guy pops up. I didn't even think about it. She was his girlfriend. And I was right. The short then proceeds to follow Noah as he flips back and forth between social media, online porn, gaming, music, etc. In the midst of all these distractions, Noah finds his relationship spiraling downhill. The style of storytelling through his conversations on various social mediums (Facebook, Skype, Chatroulette, and iMessage), along with the natural distractions of the internet, shed light on the frightening reality of modern romance's lack of human connection in the digital age.

It's mind-boggling the way Noah showed how much information our generation is accustomed to taking in on the internet. This was not done solely through Noah's short attention span on the internet, but the audience's ability to follow his ever-changing computer screen and piece together the story. As I mentioned earlier, that first picture immediately told me that Noah has a girlfriend. But an even better example is that tiny little notice that his girlfriend read his Facebook message. It isn't even the focus of the shot since he's writing in a different message, but it acts as the rising action to the climax. I mean, we're talking about being in the same minute that she read it, yet we feel him boiling in panic. All of these subtle cues tell the story and the fact that we can follow along and pick up on them weirds me out in itself.

I found Noah to be a horrifyingly fascinating film. It was a fearless depiction of how easily digital technology can be used as a cheat: having a serious talk on video chat to leave when things get hard or overstepping boundaries to find out the truth or using distractions to bury your feelings rather than deal with them. I recognized each wrong turn as they all brought back high school memories.

I remember the multi-tasking boyfriend who thought he mastered the appearance of giving his undivided attention. I was the girlfriend who accepted it and even felt comfortable starting a serious conversation, though well aware he's only partially present. And the worst part is that it wasn't just me. The film reminded me of every single person in my life. I set up that couple that was constantly in contact through digital technology to the point where they would panic if the other took more than a minute to respond. I knew that couple that continued to sneak onto each other's Facebook to find out who the other talks to when they aren't around. A friend of mine even dated a guy from Australia that she met on Chatroulette for a few weeks.

Perhaps the freakiest part is that some people I showed Noah to did not find it disconcerting. In fact, they were confused as to why I was freaked out after watching it. They found it interesting. I suppose as in they enjoyed the storyline? Maybe I've spent an abnormal amount of time thinking about digital technology and it's impact on our lives, but I think "interesting" is taking it a little too lightly. One of my friends even paused and minimized it to check if someone responded to them on Facebook. I wish I were kidding.

I truly believe Noah will hit you uncomfortably close to home, if you can manage to go 17 minutes without checking your phone, and leave you feeling uneasy with your current lifestyle. So please. If you didn't take the time to before. Scroll up and watch this. Maybe it won't disgust you that way it disgusts me, but if nothing else, it's powerful. And powerful films like this need to be watched.