Ivan Kander

The internet is such a beautifully disgusting stew of contradictions—a technologically advanced web of global connectivity that often brings about the most primitive of human behavior. This is especially evident when it comes to public shaming. I’m not immune to this knuckle-dragging behavior. Back in 2013, I giggled gleefully when Justine Sacco made a dumb racist joke on Twitter, boarded a plane, and subsequently lost her job (and ruined her life). But, as the years have progressed…as the bile spewed via tweets has become a tidal wave….as Trump won the election, the internet, and its predilection for righteous shaming, has turned my glee into dread.

This is a somewhat long winded introduction to introduce Michael Paulucci’s Hashtag Perfect Life. Short film has been a bountiful medium when it comes to examining our connected and social media culture (check out last year’s terrific I Know You from Somewhere). And, Paulucci, who’s work seems to be directly influenced by social conscious headline-making topics, adds yet another entry to the canon. Although he’s crafting a fictional shaming scenario, he’s clearly drawing influence from current events, whether it’s the Sacco debacle or one of the many other similar stories (if this topic interests you, I’d highly recommend Jon Ronson’s terrific 2015 book, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed).

Palucci structures the short like a horror film—from the eerie sound design to the red Stephen King-esque title typography. We watch as a “shamed” woman attempts to clear the air on a shady pundit’s talk show. There’s a creeping unease to it all, as the host, with his ghoulish grin, menacingly watches his interviewee like a shark eyeing chum. You know it’s going to end badly, but you can’t help but watch to find out how.

While we respected the message of Paulucci’s previous featured film, Pronouns, in terms of craft he’s grown quite a bit since that effort. This feels less on the nose…less preachy. And, it’s all the more powerful because of it. There’s some rough edges. The host is a bit too mustache-twirling for my taste, but salacious over-the-top mannequins are a staple of our media diet, so, in that respect, we suppose his performance is intentional. Moreover, he provides a head fake to the identity of the movie’s true monster.

As Paulucci relates to Short of the Week:

Paulucci shot the film on a shoestring budget at the end of last summer with a tiny crew. It accomplishes a lot with a little (as any good indie short should). He’s following up this project with a documentary that paints social media in a more positive life—a real life profile of a young widow and how she is using social media and public sharing as a coping/healing mechanism. A short about the positive aspects of social media? Now, there’s a story we haven’t heard before…