Synopsis
Before the 19th century, “the future” was a concept that most people wouldn’t have spared much thought on as the world used to change very little within a person’s lifespan. That is no long the case. We now live in rapidly changing world, both technologically and socially, which has stimulated countless predictions and imaginations about the future. In February 2021, over a year since the first COVID-19 outbreak started, but as vaccination programmes started to be delivered, I asked six people in their 20s, both living in and outside the UK, two questions:
-
“When thinking of the future, what is/are your main feeling(s)?”, and
-
“What are five events that you imagine would happen in your lifetime?”.
Their answers diverge and overlap, reflecting their different backgrounds, personalities and perspectives, yet at the same time unmistakably indicating their shared experience as young adults living in the 21st century. The conversations all took place on Zoom or Skype, which means they all spoke from the comfort of their own room without the usual involvement of technical equipment. I believe this lent the project a unique sense of intimacy that wouldn’t have been achieved in a normal interview filming set-up.
Director’s statement
I did Philosophy in university because I love analysing thoughts. I soon realised that it’s not just the philosophical texts that excite me. I’m an eager listener to anyone willing to share their views and ideas with me. My 2020, like most others’, was rather grey. I found myself unemployed, uninspired, getting more and more pessimistic about myself and the future.
It took me a year, but I finally came to terms with the circumstances. After a year of avoiding Zoom and social media, I was itching to hear from other people. “The near future” started out of my curiosity to explore how being young and going through 2020 might influence one’s thoughts on the future.
I came to England from Vietnam 7 years ago. Among the six people that took part in this project, one is a friend from Vietnam that I have known for 10 years, the rest I met in England. I don’t claim that my film will be a balanced representation of how young people think. But my aim is to present six individual perspectives in an engaging and visually compelling manner.