Ephemeral

After spending an extended and indefinite period of time in social isolation due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, I found myself struck with an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. As I began researching the concept for this film, I looked into this phenomenon and discovered that many were experiencing a sense of nostalgia on a collective level - a longing for the past that comes as a result of experiencing deep regret that we took so much for granted when going about our daily lives was uncomplicated. Using this as a starting point, my goal was to make a film that captures the joys of these small, seemingly insignificant events that could resonate with others who are similarly missing the daily pleasures of pre-quarantine existence. Furthermore, I contemplated the longing for connection during this period, and examined ways in which connection is integral to the human experience.

Our story unfolds through five different objects found inside a time capsule, but it also serves as a kind of time capsule in and of itself - a reminder of the strange time and circumstances in which this film was made. During the writing process, I looked into the various kinds of objects or memorabilia that people were most inclined to include in their own time capsules, or items that people would rush to save from their burning homes. I discovered that the most prevalent objects were items like photos, family heirlooms, or gifts from friends - irreplaceable things that were meaningful not because of their monetary value but because their owners associated them with friends and family, or memories from their childhood. This suggests to a certain extent that at the end of the day, people value human connection above anything else, and certain objects can be bridges to other people, places, and times, creating meaning and comfort for their owners. While things are, on the one hand, just things, they are also repositories for the meaning people project on them: a gift from someone’s mother might represent her love; souvenirs could be reminders of places close to heart but far from hand.

With this film, the narrative does not rely on big explosive events, but instead focuses on the smaller things that often go by unnoticed, yet shape us into the people we become - expressing the idea that life is not defined by big monumental events, but instead it is the smaller moments in between, and the connections we form with others that give it substance.