With compelling interviews of people from all age groups, including children, and a clear and simple structure, the film examines various facets of society and social behavior and how technology, the pandemic, and other factors have changed/impacted our way of reacting to them.
The idea behind the film and its execution align beautifully; each interview conducted and featured in the film reveals something new about the human experience, our view of empathy and how that's changed over the years. It might be tough to digest for the first twenty minutes, as the filmmakers jump right into the material, but this is a must-watch for members of our modern society.
I love how Sage Christian Drake and his team adhered so strictly to the purist documentarian format of "interview + b-roll = great story" and don't focus on adding too much pizzazz to the film. The camerawork is standard for a documentary, with many medium shots for interviews. Interestingly, though, the entire film is in black-and-white (save for the b-roll used with the narrator Rachel Amanda Bryant's voice). This is perhaps intended to show how the world actually isn't so cut-and-dried and that empathy helps us not see the world in such absolutes. The sets suit the storyline; most are in and around an urban landscape to showcase our modernizing, cosmopolitan society. Music is used sparingly, only when b-roll is played on the screen while the narrator speaks. In these instances, the music beautifully accentuates the points made, adding tension when the narrator describes strife in society, and an air of happiness when something constructive or positive is discussed. Christina and Michael Larsen are my personal favorite subjects (among the many featured in My Empathy). Their clarity of thought and diversity of experiences really enriched my perspective on empathy in our modern society. Sage Christian Drake deserves so much praise for this innovative idea; it's a pleasure to watch this almost-social experiment play out on screen. The seven-person director of photography team also aced the cinematography of the film, using a simple format to convey a beautiful message. This is a very minute thing to notice, but I love how the film is partitioned into "chapters" of sorts, with headers for points made about empathy and its prevalence in the world. This makes the viewing experience very cohesive (as opposed to fragmenting it too much) and I never feel like the transitions between points are too jarring.
My Empathy shows viewers the state of empathy in the world; though it might seem like our compassion is dwindling in some contexts, we are still holding onto our goodness.
I give this film 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. By Eshaan M., KIDS FIRST!
With compelling interviews of people from all age groups, including children, and a clear and simple structure, the film examines various facets of society and social behavior and how technology, the pandemic, and other factors have changed/impacted our way of reacting to them.
The idea behind the film and its execution align beautifully; each interview conducted and featured in the film reveals something new about the human experience, our view of empathy and how that's changed over the years. It might be tough to digest for the first twenty minutes, as the filmmakers jump right into the material, but this is a must-watch for members of our modern society.
I love how Sage Christian Drake and his team adhered so strictly to the purist documentarian format of "interview + b-roll = great story" and don't focus on adding too much pizzazz to the film. The camerawork is standard for a documentary, with many medium shots for interviews. Interestingly, though, the entire film is in black-and-white (save for the b-roll used with the narrator Rachel Amanda Bryant's voice). This is perhaps intended to show how the world actually isn't so cut-and-dried and that empathy helps us not see the world in such absolutes. The sets suit the storyline; most are in and around an urban landscape to showcase our modernizing, cosmopolitan society. Music is used sparingly, only when b-roll is played on the screen while the narrator speaks. In these instances, the music beautifully accentuates the points made, adding tension when the narrator describes strife in society, and an air of happiness when something constructive or positive is discussed. Christina and Michael Larsen are my personal favorite subjects (among the many featured in My Empathy). Their clarity of thought and diversity of experiences really enriched my perspective on empathy in our modern society. Sage Christian Drake deserves so much praise for this innovative idea; it's a pleasure to watch this almost-social experiment play out on screen. The seven-person director of photography team also aced the cinematography of the film, using a simple format to convey a beautiful message. This is a very minute thing to notice, but I love how the film is partitioned into "chapters" of sorts, with headers for points made about empathy and its prevalence in the world. This makes the viewing experience very cohesive (as opposed to fragmenting it too much) and I never feel like the transitions between points are too jarring.
My Empathy shows viewers the state of empathy in the world; though it might seem like our compassion is dwindling in some contexts, we are still holding onto our goodness.
I give this film 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. By Eshaan M., KIDS FIRST!
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