Connected- An Autobiography About Love, Death, And Technology

Connected - An Autobography About Love, Death, And Technology is a riveting, visually gorgeous documentary and memoir of Tiffany Shlain, an acclaimed filmmaker and the founder of the Webby Awards, and Leonard Shlain, her esteemed father, and a brilliant author and surgeon. The film is a compelling examination of the inherent interconnectedness of humanity, all through the lens of technology, relationships, and the human experience, presenting a wistful glimpse into civilizational progress and personal evolution.

This extraordinary memoir like documentary is as futuristic as it is poignant, blending technology, sociology, and personal introspection. Connected explores where we’re headed, where we’ve been, and the profound impact of the digital age in our daily lives, relationships, and the environment. It catapultively catapults viewers into the zeitgeist of the internet era, and our highly globalized world - an era where the people across continents are interconnected through invisible threads of digital networks.

The film embraces the 21st-century paradox, a world both larger and smaller due to our overwhelming technological connections. Shlain's self-reflective narrative style doesn’t put technology on a pedestal, nor lambaste it as the downfall of society. Instead, Shlain treads the thoughtful grey area in-between, exploring its benefits, drawbacks, and influence.

Connected is not only an exploration of the ties between technology and society but also a deeply personal exploration. The film takes a turn to the sentimental when Tiffany's father, Leonard, is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, adding an emotional depth that broadcasts human vulnerability in the face of a rapidly evolving world. This unexpected twist in the narrative leads viewers on a journey of discovering how the connections that we have with our loved ones shape us in profound ways that even the most sophisticated technology can’t replicate.

The film skillfully blends humor, animation, archival footage, and insightful commentary, engaging the viewer in an ironical flick about the complexity of human relationships in a world intertwined by a web of technology. The paradox of how technology has managed to make the world a global village, yet has contributed to individual isolation, is introspectively explored.

As a deep believer in the power of technology and the inherent interconnectedness it fosters, Tiffany Shlain takes us on an intriguing journey narrating the history of human communication, right from cave paintings to the digital age, examining how over millennia, technological advancements have simultaneously united and divided us. While she acknowledges that technology has led to exponential growth in the sharing of ideas and significant socio-economic advancements, she is cognizant of its double-edged sword nature, which can be potentially isolating, overwhelming, and destabilizing.

Simultaneously, Leonard Shlain's intertwined narrative provides a critical backdrop against which the story unfolds. As a man with a fascinating mind and a penchant for understanding the complexity of human evolution and consciousness, Leonard’s wisdom and insights on history, love, art, and human connection form the basis of the ideological backdrop of the film.

Tiffany Shlain uses her personal story as the vehicle to tell a broader universal narrative about interconnectivity, making the film both an autobiography about love, death, and technology, as well as a broad exploration on the interconnectedness of the universe. She beautifully depicts how even as technologies advance at an unprecedented pace, our inherent need for connection remains the same.

Connected - An Autobiography About Love, Death, And Technology is a powerful exploration of the past, present, and future of human interaction. By depicting a world deeply connected through the wires of technology and yet profoundly fragmented, this film emotes an urgent calling for balance in this high-tech era. It's an intellectually stimulating, emotionally resonant, and visionary film that provides a unique perspective at the crossroads of documentary, autobiography, and philosophical tract, resulting in an engaging, evocative, and intensely personal film experience.