Possessed 2018 ( 4.5)

This rich essay searches for new ways of being together in the age of social media. We arrange our lives to impress the gaze of others and have become accustomed to being seen. For many young people, however, the party is over. Neoliberalism has made murderous competition the norm; and in the meantime, the planet is dying. Following the unmasking of Facebook’s real motives, more and more people are deleting their Facebook accounts – but this often results in social death. The first image in POSSESSED sets the tone: liquefied lead runs over burning smartphones, followed by images of a devastated neighbourhood in Aleppo. Even the smartphones have not survived the attack. The chains of social media must be cast off, but the perpetual question remains: Who is looking out for you? Academics Alex Williams (University of East Anglia) and Nick Srnicek (King's College London) address this crucial question, along with other issues

De Hoeder 2015 ( 8)

Losers: A Film About Loss 2014 ( 5)

Everyone has to deal with loss at some point in life. And however large or small that loss may be, it always hurts. The three young children in this somewhat stylized film can attest to this, and they do, candidly and in detail. Their experiences are all different, as are their ways of dealing with them: whether it's losing a favorite stuffed animal, an important fencing tournament or an older sister. Fillmaker Arianne Hinz handles all of these losses with the seriousness they deserve. The children place the event in context, against the background of the places where the loss is felt most keenly: a tent made from blankets and towels, the gym where the fencing matches are held and the stables where the deceased sister’s favorite horse is kept. The children roam around in a dreamlike lost and found, looking for something that can illlustrate the sense of loss, that can fill the void or replace what is no more. But this is an impossible task: “A little piece of your heart is missing.”