Former Cult Member Hears Music For The First Time

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SELECTION 2020.
A former cult member is invited to a journalistic experiment: to hear music for the first time. You won’t believe her reaction.
A short film by Kristoffer Borgli starring Kate Adams, Alex Warren, Kailee McGee, Jordan Raf, Shawn Law
A Lovechild, KIN, Bacon and The Face presentation
Cinematography by Christopher Ripley
Edited by Patrick Larsgaard and Kristoffer Borgli
Sound Design by Adrian Aurelius
Production Design by Phil Steiger
Costume Design by Kaysie Lee
Executive Producers Diane McArter Benjamin Davies Magne Lyngner Jennifer Byrne
Produced by Andy Ruse and Candice Perkins
Written and Directed by Kristoffer Borgli
Commissioned by The Face: theface.com/culture/former-cult-member-hears-music-for-the-first-time-kristoffer-borgli-sundance-2020

[@deborahnorton7022]

Shows the vulnerability of those leaving cults, to those with very little understanding who think they can help, but it also shows the parallels in society, the lack of care that truly exists. The production crew itself start to mimic "cult" mentality. Fear driven action and control of emotional intelligence. The emotional reaction by the woman on the production crew was the thing that should have been used to drive a person centred solution, for the victim. Why were the professional care specialists not brought in? Is life worth more care and respect?

[@torriva]

booo

[@Beronix_]

How horrible the truth is, but a good short film.

[@karaleycarmichael8682]

I clicked on this and thought it was real oml I'm an idiot

[@ainevallely562]

Oh it’s not I’m so dumb 😂

[@salinakarbache9856]

It isn't reaaaal ?? Lmaooooo i'm stuupid LMAAAAOOOO THE GIRL JUST COLLAPSED HOLD ON

[@salinakarbache9856]

Dude i would've been so traumatized if i saw her collapse like that before reading this comment

[@leifhim]

wait this isn’t real

[@Charzilian]

yeah, not my proudest moment.

[@katemarshall2930]

it freaked me out when they guy went ‘KATE?’ after she passed out because i was really enjoying the music and heard my name being called ahahah

[@ishototnosune3732]

Porque te quedaste así Kate?

[@kmgta25]

everybody saying it’s staged.. GUYS THE DESCRIPTION SAYS IT’S A SHORT FILM

[@MrJaec1204]

Short films can also be documentaries... But yeah, its pretty obvious this is fiction

[@hinkelstein69]

it's 1000 times less interesting if it is staged, that is why the video title is written as it is

[@dumbtm2140]

I literally looked up deaf people listening to music and I some how found this,

[@joshuastein4657]

Me too lol wtf

[@twickersKnist]

Me three

[@DesolateLavender]

Yeah, same.

[@babooshkayaya2472]

Same!!

[@tarotheexplorer8594]

Same😂

[@cr2372]

That's a beautiful color palette.

[@duh1264]

k dise pava

[@abc-ld8ok]

this genuinely felt like actors at first. then i scrolled down, read sundance film festival, scrolled back up and saw her bang her head on the table.

[@dylanphillips8703]

They are actors. It's fake.

[@allrequiredfields]

And an actor couldn't do that? This is acting, and it's corny as fuck because it's a moment that's only interesting if real, because it's not well acted (the main actress is alright) or creative in anyway. If this was a scene in a good movie, then it could make the movie better otherwise, on its own, it's simply 'hey, wouldn't it be cool to see someone hear music for the first time

[@abc-ld8ok]

@@allrequiredfields yeah that's what i was trying to say. i guess i could have made that clearer

[@blackhope]

People keep commenting "Are these actors" Yes, they are. But they are demonstrating something. They're not trying to fake something...

[@duncanmiles6650]

@Marcus Donahue literally the top line of the description says its a film

[@maggielupton3520]

how does this not have more views. this was amazing

[@salinakarbache9856]

But what was it for ??

[@chatochafa130]

Every time I try looking for videos searching with words along the line of “people hearing music for the first time” all I get is bunch of music about popular KZbinrs reacting to new music sadly :(

[@Clayton.Bigsby.360]

Fake af

[@mimibee626]

It isn't real.

[@sdawsonz]

It had a lot more views when it was on Nowness but it got taken off and Borgli reuploaded

[@kajipup7550]

This is a short film. It isn’t staged because it isn’t being passed off as real

[@oneandobi75]

It's clickbait. If the title made it clear that it was a short story I bet they would only have a fraction of the views.

[@oseverything5413]

@@oneandobi75 it says in the title “a short film by kristoff Borgli” and it says that it was at Sundance so it’s not really clickbait

[@oneandobi75]

@@oseverything5413 do you see this comment was made 5 months ago? Carry on with your life 👍

[@oseverything5413]

@@oneandobi75 I was just pointing something out an you’re obviously still on KZbin so why not? I’ve gotten responses from people who wrote their comments years ago. There’s no need to get upset with me.

[@_victorugo]

@@oneandobi75 WELL, IT'S THE TITLE

[@bowsettesgamingstation3748]

What I find ironic is the comments questioning the reality of the video. When it states in the description, that it's a short film created for the Sundance film festival. Personally, I find the short film to be well produced.

[@mimibee626]

Me too! What is wrong with humans? Are they THAT stupid?

[@reggiecheruryot1164]

Bro this film was great. The cinematography was outstanding.

[@yacobshelelshaddai4543]

I full had tears stream down my face until she slammed her head on the table and the penny dropped and I lost it 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@johnkulla8496]

🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@millymilly4935]

She dead.... 🦗🦗🦗

[@vincentmangeaux9419]

Me too hahhaha

[@mimibee626]

Lmao.... people are so gullible!

[@athulfgeirsson]

MDE Never Dies

[@christophercleary6780]

Sam's still poppin'

[@elimurillorios3531]

who’s here from TikTok

[@lastgeneration699]

Eli Murillo Rios 🦵🏻

[@metromadness827]

...maybe

[@mjjohnson5877]

me 😭

[@thekerryhayes]

Me 🖐 what's your @

[@hakipaki2138]

No

[@internetgirl3748]

This is beautifully done. Well done guys

[@BROPify]

Video: Has Sundance on the thumbnail People being people: This is so staged

[@emcarpio]

everyone in the comments is so thick in the skull lmao.

[@DisgruntledPigumon]

Oh look. Person who laughs thinks they’re smarter than others. You must be a big Colbert fan.

[@JR-hi9bu]

What does Colbert have to do with people being mad stupid

[@NR-tr4tq]

I haven't laughed this hard since 'Sick of Myself'! Borgli is the real deal. Can't wait to watch Dream Scenario.

[@Sr.Rakthai]

I'll camp here until the name of the music comes up.

[@borgli]

Gabriel Fauré - Nocturne no.4

[@kaeliedeschenes8112]

i thought i was going to look at a real fricking interview lmaoo

[@tylerduggan7776]

This was amazing. Thank you LetterBoxd.

[@heatheretaithaha]

THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL OMG. IM GOING TO CRY

[@heatheretaithaha]

I JUST SAW THE HEAD THING OMG

[@paputube8306]

this is absolutely fantastic! why on earth are there so little views??

[@BalloonInTheBalloon]

probably because it's a short film, not an actual documentary. She's an actor - a good one albeit an actor nonetheless.

[@paputube8306]

@@BalloonInTheBalloon i know hun! don't see what it being a shortfilm has to do with the viewcount though

[@BalloonInTheBalloon]

@@paputube8306 Sorry man, I was too quick to assume you were among the ones who believed this was for real.

[@Pipapisca]

I think the long name is what makes it hard to find, and also a lot of people here seems to be misleaded lol thinking it was a real thing hahaha

[@Jayfive276]

I feel like I’m watching footage commandeered by the SCP Foundation.

[@josieannette6096]

LMAO I THOUGHT THIS WAS REAL L

[@anaiddiaz829]

For all the people who didn't understand or didn't like the short film, they have an allergy to thinking; the idea of analyzing and reflecting on things literally bothers you. The short film is SUPER clear at every moment about what it tries to express. If you had a gram of reasoning, you could understand not only this short film but also life in general.

[@clovejubilee5227]

i love this so much! how is this not getting a bunch of attention?! this is a really neat concept.

[@mimibee626]

It isn't true or real

[@clovejubilee5227]

@@mimibee626 who cares

[@allrequiredfields]

​@@clovejubilee5227Who cares? Are you mentally ill or do you actually not understand the difference between reality and fiction?

[@iambathman9916]

I had a whole ass "they're allowed to do that??" Moment with the concept lmao

[@Baebaebarbi]

*starts playing WAP*

[@boredat2am442]

Got goosebumps. Amazing. Give her a damn oscar already

[@christophercleary6780]

Here from Letterboxd; can't wait for his new Nicolas Cage feature film!

[@killiansaade8519]

- Yeah she's like... stuck 😂😂😂

[@nadyaack4210]

who else is here from tik tok

[@thekerryhayes]

Me! 🖐 what's your @

[@amelienemes]

hahah hes

[@jordangottfried9955]

Yea I’m here

[@sarapeever770]

me😭

[@salinakarbache9856]

I'm not

[@619Gotenks]

There is nothing in this universe like music.

[@iamjackspyramidshapedhelmet]

Clicked on this by accident lol. I guess this is a short film about how folks like Beanie Hat Guy claim to want to ‘platform marginalized people’ when they’re actually just exploiting them. That kind of faux altruism has always existed but it’s rampant on social media so this is very timely, even four years later.

[@prostheticnameTS1]

why does this feels so creepy?

[@RosesofWillows]

"You won't believe her reaction." No, I didn't. It was too sudden. A huff and drop. If her eyes rolled or something, it might not have taken me out of the moment.

[@_anon]

@@marcasdebarun6879 "It's not bad acting it's just a movie it's not meant to be real" What a lame excuse, bad acting is bad acting.

[@danielarnott9986]

It was good until the others got involved, I could immediately tell they were actors.

[@callisto101]

did you think this was real? it’s a short film

[@landrynolley]

camila yeah but it’s good to pretends it real because the actors character was so open minded

[@ShadyLurker16]

It took you that long? lol.

[@modestmouse2889]

I thought it was REAL, BRO.

[@kvenrecords6657]

Helt rått Kristoffer! Gleder meg til neste film❤

[@Kermiso]

And to think we take everything around us for granted

[@trdmrktv6619]

the best short ever made

[@civy420]

lmao! Watched Sick of Myself yesterday, brilliant

[@caprisun2857]

This feels more like a quirky celebrity interview.

[@flawed_vision]

Early thoughts were this is beautiful and comparable to Joe Pera hears The Who for the first time. Excellent work. Excited for Sick of Myself

[@e.p.4856]

smh should've blasted chief keefs "faneto"

[@robert__]

exactly

[@yacobshelelshaddai4543]

This is so touching

[@mimibee626]

Lol....gullible

[@PG-wz7by]

So glad I'm no longer in LA.

[@smokyprogg]

The ending shot of this seriously fucked me up, and I can't say why

[@Thirstrapforcuties]

What an ending😮

[@brandonvancour2863]

yeah this was awesome

[@username_copied225]

Somebody please tell me what song this is

[@phoebechen2958]

I’m so confused why did they leave her outside where people took pics of her?

[@cursedbeyondbelief8383]

It’s Hollywood Blvd I think and they have a bunch of people who do cosplays or art there and she was representing some modern art piece

[@Mr-Tibbster]

Nooo, you can't do that to me. Man I thought it was real at first and I felt emotional over it, but then slowly something started feeling off in my gut, then the realisation came it was just a film, lol.

[@GreenGameProduction]

song name?

[@normlor]

HOW ON EARTH DO PEOPLE EVER GET INTO THESE SITUATIONS IN THE 1ST PLACE!!

[@niamh6109]

I’m so confused

[@miavolpe1938]

Niamh me too😂

[@niamh6109]

Bella I watched a clip of this on Instagram thinking it was a real situation, watched the rest of it on here, now I’m confused at the whole concept.

[@kennedyvincent3217]

@@niamh6109 same I'm very confused

[@seileach67]

I think the story is about how people are nowadays so used to things being visual spectacles and/or removed from reality, that their natural empathic responses are lost. The blond lady was the only one who wanted to call medical help, the others were more concerned with the filming and how their boss would react. In the end, they abandoned the injured woman in the street to become just another weird spectacle for people to gawk at. :(

[@janefaceinthewind6260]

What's the piece?

[@lilruse]

I remember human beings

[@miguelfmyers]

Amazing title.

[@brennanpongratz8057]

someone explain please

[@jaredkunish]

incredible

[@carlyfawcett3767]

This is so smart

[@tayday424]

This was actually scary.

[@rachelgillerson7133]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣💀what is this bullshit (edit: just saw its comedy. In that case, great job! I died 🤣)

[@kelhapam]

Pure joy

[@LukasHasiba]

Super random question but PLEASE somebody help me with the title of the piano song, I shazamed it and it said it‘s mozart performed by Walter Klien, but that‘s somehow not true bc when I play the suggested song it‘s some other mozart track. Super geeky I know but I think it‘s beautiful! Thankful for any hints (:

[@CausticCreations]

Drone in C sharp - Mils Martin Larsen 2019

[@CausticCreations]

Nocturne No.4

[@wingstrongwingstrong]

Is that shot on film or is that a filter? The picture looks quite nice

[@maqboy]

this is fuckng brilliant

[@guadalupepernia689]

I didn't understand the final

[@mjsmcd]

What's the music?

[@alinocencio1798]

Oh wow.. imagine is this was indeed real

[@shenahh9835]

"who else here is form tik tok" nah im just searching up corpse music lol

[@vincentmangeaux9419]

Great work this perfectly captures the ethos of our vapid generation

[@ConstructionFun1]

This is brilliant.

[@mimibee626]

Lol.... you are easily impressed

[@ConstructionFun1]

@@mimibee626 and you're too dumb to enjoy a great piece of artistic film making. I've seen your other comments on this feed telling people it isn't real. Do you also stand outside movie theatres yelling at people that superheroes don't exist?? 😂😂😂

[@joekenorer]

Great cinematography but wtf was this all about? Is there subtext, or am I supposed to be taking it at face value?

[@RobynneNardini]

Why do they stand 7:23 around talking when that poor girl has plainly fainted from shock,hurt her head and is clearly in need of medical assistance?

[@ethankolojejchick3731]

I believe thats the point. It felt like they were tryna make a statement about exploiting marginalized groups and victims and how the people making these documentaries dont actually care about them.

[@cataclysmicproductions]

is it shot on film or just a terrific emulation ?

[@pablosarti1216]

Wonder the same in "Dream scenario". Does anyone knows?

[@TielerBYadon]

3:05 What the??? Did not expect that.

[@jadedjay3362]

What the hell is any of this about

[@landrynolley]

the pain of not knowing something so beautiful it stunts you

[@paputube8306]

i took it as being about how mental health issues such as depression are often pushed aside and not taken seriously and sometimes romaticized /turned into a performance in the media. might be a reach, but that's just how i interpreted it :)

[@DanimationMovies]

This is so good

[@anatol557]

This is a masterpiece actually

[@5iveThumbsUp]

Interesting, but I think interviewing a real ex cult member would provide a more real and raw message. There’s plenty of them, unfortunately.

[@jimdevlin2138]

I think this proves that music is a gift from GOD , sent to us to make our boring mundane lives more bearable

[@BatisteBieler]

Heroin too then?

[@mimibee626]

Lmao

[@lowe-quay-shush]

​@@BatisteBielerYour funny, & that's why I'm too scared to ever try it.

[@phthomas33]

Former cult member hears music for the first time: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2icioF6jteIpNE

[@pigeonramier6898]

i dont understand, its true or its a movie ??

[@Girls4Cel]

its a short film! i believe this is like an actual gender, fake documentary i believe?

[@kennedyvincent3217]

Can someone please explain this to me?

[@belleisleguy]

What piano piece are they playing?

[@vincentmangeaux9419]

Fauré Nocturne 4

[@CausticCreations]

Drone in C sharp - Mils Martin Larsen 2019 it's in the end credits

[@MovieFan13]

Pretend I'm dumb as fuck what the hell did I just watch.

[@themeanpariah1269]

Is this even real??

[@themeanpariah1269]

No it’s not real lol okay

[@jaceyasf4576]

It’s a short film. So no it’s not “real” but it’s to demonstrate a point.

[@StripperLicker]

Yes

[@novemberdecember911]

Bruh she looks animated

[@JaYaYaYaYaYa]

What is the song that was used?

[@vincentmangeaux9419]

Fauré Nocturne 4

[@samlt_]

Guys, if you don't understand, read the description.

[@jaceyasf4576]

I still don’t get it. Like I’m confused.

[@magictransistorradio4933]

This reminds me of the Truman Show.

[@dexterbamford]

Perfect

[@eleni33koro88]

Yep, he just said there’s a little blood there and they stayed calm. There’s no way this is real. Disgusting.

[@Dani-vu2jw]

i sooo badly want to know the name of this piano music at the end

[@vincentmangeaux9419]

Fauré Nocturne 4

[@CausticCreations]

Drone in C sharp - Mils Martin Larsen 2019 it's in the end credits

[@ayrton56612]

Can notice it is acted from the very first 5 seconds

[@elizabethcohn4348]

this is brilliant. well done!!