You know those rabbit hole ordeals when you watch a video on YouTube and soon enough fast forward to five suggested videos later, you’re learning how to pickle beets when all you really wanted was to watch a Economics review video. I happened to fall into this rabbit hole recently, and ended up watching a short film called Selfie. Going into the video, I thought it was going to be one of those shoddy teenager produced films required for high school english, with the morale of the story ultimately being something cliche like don’t spend too much time on social media! or don’t be too self- absorbed and pay attention to your surroundings! It surprised me when the opening shot was of a urban train ride taken in place in India. I personally have not watched any Indian films, so this film peaked my interest.

The film introduces the main character off the bat with a shot of him on the train, helping a man with a crossword puzzle in an aggregate group setting. The film automatically establishes the characterization of the main character- helpful, friendly, smart, and in my opinion maybe a little annoying (as a native New Yorker if anyone tries to talk to anyone else on the subway, never mind tell someone how to do a crossword puzzle, they get the evil eye.) But in the character’s case, he is met with a friendly face and graciousness.

The main character then gets up to answer a phone call in which he accidentally brushes up against a man and is accused of being a pick pocket. The short film then goes on to show the character being mistaken for a taxi driver, being targeted to be asked for a train ticket, and so forth. The series of events in his day deepen his insecurity that is onset by the first accusation, until the next day when he is riding on the train again. He is riding scared and insecure when he sees another man being accused of being a pickpocket, the same way he did. When asked about it, the man is laughing, unfazed by the accusation. He simply says- “the man has known me since the last stop, I have known myself for 25 years.” The main character is stunned by this revelation and his worries seemed so trivial to be worried over.

Overall, it was a clever film that had a satisfying ending that brought a smile to my face. It wasn’t the best film, and the film effects and camera work made it seem like the main character had borderline schizophrenia at times to highlight his self consciences, which was definitely not the point the director was trying to make. The film also showcased idiosyncrasies of Indian culture I have not known before. I was not aware being accused of being a taxi driver was considered a menial job position, but the film showed it like it was. This is different from America, where being a taxi driver is just another middle class blue collar job. The film also highlighted how protective people were of their belongings and how wary they were of pickpockets. I have known that there was a high level of street theft in India but seeing it play out in the short film was eye opening.

I would recommend watching this video, linked below, and I look forward to the next video I accidentally stumble upon through YouTube- who knows what I’ll end up finding!