The Luxury of Being Obsolete

A humorous yet bittersweet reflection on the way in which internet and digital culture have profoundly shaped our lives over the past two decades.

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Synopsis

While a solitary figure slowly inflates a plastic palm tree, various scenes unfold on the summery green plains.

A businessman on vacation seeks a brief digital nod of approval from his mother, while a swarm of tourists gathers to capture the flash of a fleeting viral moment. In hushed corners, a marketing team huddles over their next online breakthrough, even as a young woman faces the bitter truth of being outpaced by artificial intelligence, and a man, hampered by a leaking watering can, stumbles through a critical job interview.

Meanwhile, the solitary figure has sought solace in alcohol. When he reappears, completely drunk, he finds no support from his inflated plastic palm tree.

Theme

From subtly infiltrating our social interactions to redefining our leisure activities and relentlessly harvesting the data we create, the internet has been feeding on us. Now, with the rise of generative AI, it seems closer than ever to swallow us whole.

But what happens when the dream we helped inflate no longer needs us to sustain itself?

Written & Directed by

Rinus Bot

Production Design

Eva van Dée

Sound Design

Thibaud Delpeut

CGI

Sabrina Verhage

Coloring

Martin Sinkgraven

Year

2025









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