I don't want to live in a hole anymore.

Jan 2024 | Experimental | 1mins

A man grapples with his insecurities and seeks to live vicariously through better-looking strangers on the internet.

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Written & Directed by: Peter Zheng

Shot on location in London, UK

"Why do we spend hours mindlessly scrolling through arbitrary content? The quick answer is dopamine. But beneath that fleeting pleasure of looking lies something deeper. When we binge short-form content like TikTok or YouTube Shorts, we’re not just escaping reality—we’re reshaping it.

Staring at better-looking strangers on the internet pulls us into a vortex of identification and envy, fuelled by our own perceived inadequacies. They have the ideal body. The perfect hair. The voice you wish you had. Even the personality you aspire to. This cycle fosters an unhealthy detachment from self-acceptance, leaving us chasing illusions rather than meaningful self-improvement.

The hours we spent scrolling reflect not just our desires but our discontent—a misguided search for connection, validation, and versions of ourselves that feel perpetualy out of reach."

---Peter Zheng Director's Statement