Can't Feel Nothing

Feature - 81 min Broadcast - 54 min

What is the internet doing to us?

A man lies in bed illuminated by the blue-white light of his mobile phone. He doom scrolls past cute pets, outraged opinion pieces and haunting images from the world's hotspots – and he feels absolutely nothing. With curiousity and humour, director David Borenstein travels the world to investigate how bad things really are. Who is pulling the strings when the internet makes us angry, sad, horny or just plain indifferent? And is there any way back? From the American internet troll, a burnt-out superstar in the Asian influencer industry, a cynical fake-news factory in Eastern Europe, Russian state propagandists and an online dominatrix, this is an alarming contemporary diagnosis, with a bold attempt to also look at solutions.

Festivals and Awards

CPH:DOX F:ACT AWARD Nominee | World Premiere

Reviews and More

“The film constructs a tapestry of human stories across four continents, depicting a world where our emotions are commodified and instrumentalized with ruthless efficiency.” – Business Doc Europe

“Borenstein keeps his eye and his lens focused on the human perspective of the story, and it’s clear how much he wants to see hope and the possibility of a happy ending for the numb nation.” – Cineuropa

“Laced with dark humour.” – Variety

“Alarming and hilarious” – Deadline

CountryDenmark
Running Time81:00
Date27 Mar, 2024
ProducerSnowglobe
OriginalHD
Ref No8633

The Producers

David Borenstein – Director

US director David's Borenstein’s debut feature doc “Dream Empire,” about the building boom in China’s ghost cities, won the top prize at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in 2017. For several years David has made films for networks including BBC, Al Jazeera, VICE and NYT Op-Docs.

Mikkel Jersin – Producer

Mikkel graduated as a producer from the National Film School of Denmark in 2011. Before his studies, he worked as a journalist for the Danish daily Berlingske Tidende. Shortly after his film school graduation, Mikkel was headhunted by Nimbus Film to work as producer and international co-producer. Mikkel's producer credits include 'Sticks & Stones' (2018), 'Suicide Tourist' (2019) and 'Wildland' (2020). In 2015 he was named one of Screen International's Future Leaders. The same year he founded the production company Snowglobe with Katrin Pors and Eva Jakobsen.

Making The Film

"I've observed first-hand the insidious ways in which internet companies exploit human emotions. Corporations have erected Kafkaesque architectures beneath the digital veneer, manipulating our emotions with both covert and brazen tactics. Obviously, if we start relying on this tech to start creating emotional experiences, I can’t help reflecting that it will flatten our emotional spectrum. It's a constant struggle and we’re all in it. What's important is to keep up this discussion. What I'm trying to do with my film is to create a space for people to reflect on this. There will be a time when we'll be able to engage in changing our behavior collectively – we're a collective species – unless we all do it together, it's difficult to imagine."

– David Borenstein, Director

Can't Feel Nothing

What is the internet doing to us?

The Producers

Making The Film

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