"The Intimacy of Strangers" was a short (20 min.) documentary which consisted entirely of the overheard cell phone conversations of random people. The camera watched the subjects from a distance and the conversations, which mostly involved romantic entanglements, were picked up with sound equipment. A melancholy soundtrack was added to the background for emotional effect, but there was no narration.
The film brought up issues regarding the difference between public and private space. Now that we can talk anywhere, all areas have the ability of becoming private spaces. The people involved in the cell phone conversations usually appeared totally unaware of their surroundings, or the fact that the crowds of people around them were perfectly capable of overhearing these conversations, which were quite personal in nature. Through its intrusion, the film poses the question, is there such thing as privacy anymore?
"The Intimacy of Strangers" is effective because it is disturbing. At any point in time, our conversations could also be recorded and distributed, and there is nothing we can do about it. It is enough to make anyone with a cell phone think twice before they talk. While watching the film, I couldn't thinking about the last time I had used my cell phone.
One of the most visually interesting scenes in the film showed a man talking on his cell phone in a subway station. He was standing in front of a large advertisement, I think for coffee, which read: "Unlock your senses." When we make that connection on our cell phone, the whole rest of the world seems to fade away and we are completely unaware of what is going on around us. We, in a sense, violate our own privacy by refusing to protect it.
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