People You May Know
Description
If you’re not on social media, do you even exist? Like a chicken-egg riddle for the modern era, such is the dilemma facing 30-something introvert Jed (Nick Thune), whose total absence from the digital landscape leaves him socially marooned. That is, until he discovers he can use his wizard-like Photoshop skills to present his life in any way imaginable. When Tasha (Halston Sage) sees an opportunity to exploit her vision of cultivating a celebrity out of a nobody, she helps pimp out Jed’s life via multiple online platforms, and before long, he emerges from his cocoon as a high-profile social butterfly. But after Jed unexpectedly crosses paths with his high-school crush Franky (Kaily Smith Westbrook), dormant affections reawaken, and Jed must find a way to reconcile his unvarnished self with the slick facade his online persona reflects. With playful intimacy and deft insight, first-time director Sherwin Shilati plays with the ways social relevance and self-validation are measured in the digital age, and whether we can ever truly know each other when we so often disguise our authentic selves. Against a sparkling New York City backdrop, People You May Know boasts an effervescent cast, including Carly Chaikin (Mr. Robot), a scene-stealing Usher Raymond IV, and standup comedian Thune in a breakout performance. —Jesse Knight
Sherwin Shilati makes his feature film debut with People You May Know. His first short, I Kicked Luis Guzman in the Face (2008), which features the titular esteemed character actor, helped Shilati break into directing commercials. Shilati followed up Guzman in 2013 with The Key, a short film spun off from the Funny or Die web series Neil & John. “Of all the incredible things social media has brought us, it’s beginning to serve as a major source of our self-worth,” Shilati said of his feature debut. “Our goal with this film is to bring to light some of the ways we subconsciously use social media to value ourselves in a thoughtful and entertaining way.”
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/211423892?autoplay=1Film Details
Language English
Year 2017
Premiere World
Runtime 91
Country USA
Director Sherwin Shilati
Producer Shelley Stevens, Kaily Smith Westbrook
Writer Sherwin Shilati
Editor Jonathan Melin
Cinematographer Brian Burgoyne
Music André Allen Anjos
Cast Nick Thune, Halston Sage, Kaily Smith Westbrook, Carly Chaikin