Random Act of Kindness — production still

Random Act of Kindness

Short Film · 2024 · Comedy, Satire · 12 min

an AFI Conservatory production

Two YouTubers lose their shot at creating a viral video when they forget to record their act of donating $10K to a random woman experiencing homelessness. When they fail to recreate the genuine moment, they do whatever is necessary to get their content.

Cast

  • Jesse Allis
  • Jack Ritter
  • Tina Van Berckelaer
  • Rafael Cansino

Crew

  • Director Simon Schneider
  • Screenwriter Simon Schneider, Yun Suh
  • Story by Simon Schneider
  • Producer Maxwell Kagan
  • Cinematographer Diana Dahllund
  • Production Designer Elli Kypridas
  • Costume Designer Brianna Klugman, Eliza Garcia
  • Hair & Makeup Alexis Frohlich
  • Editor Jason Sen Luo

The film challenges the wrongs of exploiting people in need for entertainment purposes and personal gain. By highlighting the violence of donating money for emotional reactions and pushing individuals to reenact their first emotional reactions, the film humorously portrays this capitalist absurdity by emphasizing the dark underbelly of this social media phenomenon. These kinds of performative content on social media exploit everyday people in need while giving the impression of an altruistic motivation. By exaggerating the immorality of the content creators and employing a visual style that oscillates between realism and graphic exaggeration, the film prompts viewers to confront the deeper issues of social inequality on a political level.

Random Act of Kindness — Poster

This is an AFI cycle short film produced during the first year of the AFI directing program. Due to AFI policies, these first-year films are not allowed for public distribution; however, you can request a personal viewing link.