Sci-Fi Short Film "Life Begins at Rewirement" | DUST | Flashback Friday

A man struggles with the health care system and his own feelings of guilt when he checks his 100-year-old, estranged mother into Gateway TransCare -- a memory care facility that uploads elderly minds into computer data banks.
"Life Begins at Rewirement" by Trevin Matcek
More About "Life Begins at Rewirement":
A man struggles with the health care system and his own feelings of guilt when he checks his 100-year-old, estranged mother into Gateway TransCare -- a memory care facility that uploads elderly minds into computer data banks.
Set in the near future, LIFE BEGINS AT REWIREMENT follows Simon Ender on the day he checks his 100-year-old mother Jessica, into Gateway TransCare - a memory care facility that stores consciousness in data banks.
Simon is a middle-aged, successful businessman grappling with the difficult decision of what is best for his ailing parent. After suffering a stroke a few years ago, Jessica is wheelchair bound and can only communicate through a text-to-speech synthesizer. She lives alone and is descending rapidly into dementia.
The strained relationship of a stubborn, forgetful mother and her uptight son is put to the test. LIFE BEGINS AT REWIREMENT blurs the lines between memory and oblivion, parent and child, human soul and the spirit of technology.
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[@hydroac9387]

This hit close to home. In October 2022 I had a stroke which left me with 20% mobility in my right leg, 0% in my right arm, and I effectively couldn't talk. About 20% of my brain is dead, and that primarily affected my speech center. I spent 8 day in the ICU, 5 weeks in rehab, and another 5 weeks in at a recovery center. I was scientist (hydrogeologist) and was 57 yrs old at the time of my stroke. I still have trouble communicating, but my family and friends have been so supportive - just like the dutiful son in this short film. I can absolutely see myself in this amazing film. So touching... Well done!

[@ptjzmemory]

Best wishes to you. Thank you for sharing. I can't imagine what you have gone through. 🤗

[@techsk8er1O5]

Wow you’re amazing! Stay strong

[@CheeksMcGillicutty]

Omfg I can't stop crying. The day my grandmother went to a nursing home... my mom and I have never stopped regretting it. We couldn't afford to take care of her the way she needed. We saw her every day until she passed. The last day changed everything. Suddenly she remembered all of us and could tell us all that she loved us one last time. I've never wished I could unwatch something on KZbin so much

[@CheeksMcGillicutty]

I have to say that the video was very good. I didn't mean to sound negative towards it lol. It certainly did a great job getting an emotional response from me lol

[@TheSilmarillian]

I hear you.

[@Errorscreen5788]

​@@CheeksMcGillicutty and why couldn't you tale care of her excatly? A lot of people send their loved ones to nursing home because they couldn't "take care of their needs".

[@michaelboatman2010]

This made me cry, trying to do the right thing for your loved ones that don't remember you is heart breaking

[@Natascha1979]

You did get the part that he forgot about her right? That he did not remember any happy moment she had. It just shows that even family member lose their loving relationship, if there was one at all.

[@timesurfingalien]

It certainly is. My mother has dementia before passing. 5 years she didn't know who I was

[@gentlerain8537]

Oh well for some of us- it’s an easy choice… Uncle Fred deserve to be Soylent Green 30 years ago … Yeah, no -?

[@ingridlarssen7483]

Are you watching the same film as I am "REWIRED"? because she may have been categorised as only having 1% recall, but she points out how her son's memory is not as sharp as her own because he forgot Mothers Day but she didn't! Got to admit, when someone feels trapped in a dislikeable situation (she's physically disabled) their wants and needs may become overridden and they then feel helpless and resigned to a dislikeable situation. If you take memory for instance, I was watching an old footage about a crime and 2 detectives who acted professionally knowledgeable. However, there was also data to read which gave clinical and psychological evaluation. Even pointing out, if too much information I'd given by a suspect, it can be perceived as likely to either be a fabrication, or deliberate lie etc! Well, if that data was ever used against me, I would be able to give so much excess information, that psychological behavioural experts would be convinced that I could not possible remember accurately in grate detail after a very lengthy period of years, so I probably would not be 💯 believed! But my memory is amazing 😍🤩 and if I remember details, they will be exacting and precise! We are not equal in our memory and one size does not fit all! In years to come if I was ever in her position then I would need UNLIMITED MEMORY WITH NUMEROUS UNLIMITED 🤣😂😅EXTENSIONS

[@ingridlarssen7483]

​@@Natascha1979It also points out how his own memory is not the same as hers! Obviously, it would not be because his situational experiences would be different to his mum's, their pecking order in the family could also give siblings different memories too!

[@d.grouard6737]

I loved this film the first time I saw it a few years ago and it is still as powerful and touching as it was then, in fact, the film is even more relevant now. Thank you for refreshing “my” memories.

[@marcd1981]

One thing I stopped doing recently was reading the descriptions before watching these shorts. I didn't know at the start that her mind was going to be uploaded, and I was figuring out what was happening as the story moved along. I have to say, this was probably the best short I've seen on Dust, it actually felt like a feature length film. The two main actors were great, and the story was told very well while everything unfolded. Thank you for posting this, Happy Holidays!

[@sugadaddy7050]

Wow.... Great job guys! This was deep. I wish you all the best going forward!

[@RobertElFotoviajero]

She just needed a single memory... 😢 i am not crying 😭

[@glen7228]

Why was this so God damned heart wrenching?

[@buaidhnobas1ify]

I always click on Dust not knowing the content. Main stream is dead, so I cut the cord many years ago. Dust never fails to entertain, no matter the suject. This one got to me. I'm 61, so I'm getting close. Honestly, if I get pluged in, I'll be happy. I hate taking pills.

[@ThomasPCGuruENGINES]

Likewise, and I hear you

[@andreagilbert6469]

Same. ..

[@paullevine1813]

Turn 68 in march & when i go the last thing i would want is to be plugged in & become a mindless shell . Keep the pills keep the computer crap just let me go . This was a sad film no matter the ending . When it's our time just let us go . Yea i did put all that in my living will , . Yea still a very sad film & probably not far off.

[@MatthewBennell]

I don’t cry often or about much, but this one got me.

[@cinemartin3530]

It was...surprisingly thoughtful. I rarely see such short films on KZbin. Truly high-quality work that makes you think about true values. In fact, it is important for older people not only to have the past, but also to be a necessary, valuable member of the family in the present... I liked everything, from the plot to the visual component. After watching it, I was left with such emotions as if I had watched a good film. This deserves a lot of attention.👏👏👏

[@persistentdreams]

Yup. I cried too. So touching!

[@terenoy]

Still my best-loved video. Well done, great acting. I made my whole family watch it when it first came out years ago.

[@jm844]

Saddest thing is losing your mother, you're never ready for any of it . Treasure each moment like it's your last with all you love , Never take anything for granted , you have your mother, your father or your wife and your children now , they can disappear in a moment and you lose that chance to make it better . Let them know that you appreciate them .

[@paullevine1813]

That's one forgiving mother & a son that learns the hard way & though the ending of this ,well i won't spoil it it's very sad film & one i would not want to happen to myself & my folks are gone so this would not be any issue i would have to face & i sure as hell would not take that long to realize what i had just done to my mom or any loved one i think it best we go when it's our time & not be hooked to to machines nor turned into a computer image . Fantastic film but as sad as any I've seen watching horror & Sci Fi shorts. We live in strange & sad times despite all we have . One of the most potent short films on all these great channels that give us the chance to go to other worlds & planes of existence real or not . Hats off to the lady that played his Mom what a fine job she did to bring the watcher with any real feeling to tears.

[@DaleWheeler]

My Dad and one of his brothers and sisters suffered with alzheimer's disease. Not the same as a stroke, but it's very sad to watch them drift away in either case! This story was well written and acted. 👍👍👍👍

[@mikewoolie5153]

Didn't expect to see someone I went to church with years ago. Dave Allen. I've seen him in other films. A good actor who deserves so much more. If you read this Dave I'm in Midland Texas. see if you can find me. Flora's son.

[@Wendy-LeeRattenbury]

Crying , my dead son loved me , my younger son won't even call for Christmas - he already says he's too busy. All we become is someone's memories - but only if they continue to share and remember.

[@dubinatub1]

Bless you from Ireland

[@Gorguruga]

Maybe your younger son felt as if your other son was your favorite throughout his life. When that feeling or sensation sets in as a child, it can follow you around forever. Do you ever tell him that you love him and miss him?

[@Wendy-LeeRattenbury]

@@Gorguruga Yes all the time, but he continues to shut me out. Out of sight, out of mind. Feel like I have lost everything.

[@TonyMobily]

Have you tried connecting to him and actually asking him why he shuts you out?

[@Wendy-LeeRattenbury]

@@TonyMobily Because he wants to get on with his own life - I remind him of the past and he doesn't want to remember any of it. Hurts like hell.

[@0neIntangible]

Simon did this as much for his own and the rest of the family's peace of mind, as he did for Jessica's.

[@christophercrowder872]

Very thought provoking. 👍

[@SkyChaserCom]

Structure reminds me of the Sarasota pier in Florida :) Besides that ... I'm crying seeing this. I miss my late parents :/ It's interesting seeing the "interactive digital desk". When i bought my last car, the salesman had that exact setup :)

[@jacksonlee6760]

Hey I've been to that pier before! Greetings from Tampa! I would've liked to see what the old pier was like, the inverted pyramid one. Also sorry for your loss, it's something we all have to face at some point. The best we can do is use what they gave us to the best of our ability. I hope this made an impact, have a good day! :)

[@carsonvogt3297]

I thinks it's the UCSD library. Sorry for your loss, I can't bare the thought of losing mine.

[@petershim5900]

This really struck me! My sister had dementia and finnaly died of brain cancer. Thank you for this inside awareness that it somehow stired.

[@Nailnuke]

Awsome and frightening at the same time. Just imagine her life had been an unhappy or even violent one (bullying husband) what would Simon have seen, how could he live with it.

[@jonathanmoreland2679]

This is a sad, and very beautiful video it bring back memories good and bad ones.

[@vincentkessels3804]

Any film with a running Androbot B.O.B with serving trays is a good movie.

[@mahalalel7771]

Nice. I'm an old man and this touched my hardened heart. It made me whimper and that for me takes a lot. Thank you.

[@elultimo102]

This one hurt. Mom died 10 months ago today (10/01/23). She was in better shape than that, until her last day. I took care of her. I miss her, and wish something like this were real, so I wouldn't be without her.

[@justinsmith3079]

This brutal, I loved it.

[@CoachDeeFree]

This was phenomenal 🙏🏾💜

[@ptjzmemory]

This one had me crying. And I am ok with that.

[@pam1244]

Very very good. ❤

[@DUPO22]

So touching 😢

[@mohamedcisse1001]

It is really heartbreaking and humbling if I may to a person from a developing world at least to me since I'm a product of that world to come to term with one resolve if not for the timeless days spent with it all.

[@AprilMartinChartrandMS]

Totally love this. Great editing and exceptional story telling through short film designs.

[@jerrypolverino6025]

Thank you for evoking wonderful memories

[@marlonmorrison9520]

That hit home my mom is gone that made a alpha males eyes glassy well damn thanks guys 😊😊

[@MultiMarat]

Um belíssimo trabalho!

[@petyuriy]

Now you made me cry .....

[@WilliamGibble]

Life is a dream, if technology can extend it for a short time . Well then bravo ❤❤❤

[@AppNasty]

Well, dang it. First Dust video that has me tearing up. When my mother and father get to the point they need care, if they don't wanna go....then i will adjust my entire life to ensure they don't. Downgrade the house. Let go of the extra car payments. Whatever it takes if they wish to be at home vs retirement center.

[@pmurk]

I love that old Citroen XM

[@DreamerMrX]

It is CX, not XM. I love it too :-)

[@ToyotaKTM]

We can't pick our relatives. I would rather live with friends and strangers, than any of my relatives.

[@dascooter8287]

That was awesome 👏🏼.

[@okancanarslan3730]

amazing film

[@setburhed4987]

Good one!

[@mrheisemberg2]

good short sci fi , but when one conscience dies everything ends, the other is a copy with the memories of the conscience that has become extinct, it killed the mother and now believes it interacts with her as if it were alive and does so with a self-conscious simulation, but it is no longer the original consciousness

[@ThomasPCGuruENGINES]

Same consciousness, different hardware.

[@phillipnesmith2698]

Our minds are a collection of neural synapses, whether that information is stored on living nerves or electronic simulation it's still the same data. The technology to do what is represented in this video doesn't exist yet. But it might eventually. My body stays in pain from CIDP, an autoimmune disease. What if my mind could be put into an android body? You can use your imagination to envision many pros and cons of such things.

[@mrheisemberg2]

@@ThomasPCGuruENGINES Be careful, I didn't say that the duplicated consciousness is not a real consciousness, but only that misunderstandings are generated. Let's assume that the mother lives, and has a sentient copy of her consciousness on another hardware. If the mother dies after a month, only the duplicated consciousness remains and the latter does not experience the experience of death, the original mother does, therefore at the moment of the transfer the mother dies and the copy is not her

[@mrheisemberg2]

@@ThomasPCGuruENGINES Be careful, I didn't say that the duplicated consciousness is not a real consciousness, but only that misunderstandings are generated. Let's assume that the mother lives, and has a sentient copy of her consciousness on another hardware. If the mother dies after a month, only the duplicated consciousness remains and the latter does not experience the experience of death, the original mother does, therefore at the moment of the transfer the mother dies and the copy is not her

[@gagarinone]

@@phillipnesmith2698 In another excellent DUST short sci-fi film, it was an old woman's "soul" that was transferred into a young body, which was like when she was young, grown on her DNA. The old body was destroyed. As a young woman, she was given the opportunity to live a new life.

[@arjunkhati8369]

Great ...🥹

[@Moocifer006]

We are living longer and it’s scary. We don’t want our kids to stop their lives to take care of us, it’s not fair to them. We had our kids out of love and to have the best life possible.

[@andrewhancock2451]

It's not clear that the original didn't die. If the memory is just an electronic copy, than the original was killed in the upload.

[@dustsky]

Mother, please be nice and eat your soup, or else I might have to put you on a hard drive!

[@garywatson9296]

One of my favorites

[@JayJay-ki4mi]

The future of euthanasia, with the option to store and experience memories for a subscription fee.

[@Natascha1979]

Doesn’t differ from this. How is she still alive? Just because your essential organs are working doesn’t mean you’re alive let alone living.

[@MrsRobertson4]

This is a good episode. Saw it the other day.

[@ascincoquinas]

At the end, no matter what you have done for our loved ones, there will always be a bastard that will agree with these conditions. Best hide ageing than face it as a natural human condition.

[@daevydjae]

For comparison, the global data storage capacity in 2020 was around 6.7 zettabytes. For that facility to have nearly that amount is mind-boggling.

[@Crochet_bro]

His mother is just a computer program now

[@ThomasPCGuruENGINES]

She's the same "program" running on healthy fast silicon without limitations, rather than her failed, sick, expensive prison of a meat body

[@gagarinone]

Here's another possibility: In another excellent DUST short sci-fi film, it was an old woman's "soul" that was transferred into a young body, which was like when she was young, grown on her DNA. The old body was destroyed. As a young woman, she was given the opportunity to live a new life.

[@cyberstar251]

that robot is topo! from androbot back in the 70's/80's, i didn't think any survived.

[@greghight954]

Living people can find it hard enough to find meaning in existence so I think mental health would be a big issue unless you could fix it with software.

[@stevepatterson1025]

Not often you see a Citroen DS never mind the future.

[@ThomasPCGuruENGINES]

Perfect "future" car!

[@Mezig34976]

Not a DS, but a CX....!

[@michellesimpsons356]

I thought it was gonna be a new one. This was a good one though.

[@ChthonianRealm]

good story

[@alo5301]

Oh, I think my first video I saw from Dust

[@johnblais2065]

I wood rather have them pass , than live a lie to make feel better ,

[@ThomasPCGuruENGINES]

I would rather stay alive for the great unknown of the human race. Time and space and poor physical heath conquered

[@Redmanfms]

But you won't be alive, or part of the human species.

[@gagarinone]

@@Redmanfms In another excellent DUST short sci-fi film, it was an old woman's "soul" that was transferred into a young body, which was like when she was young, grown on her DNA. The old body was destroyed. As a young woman, she was given the opportunity to live a new life

[@Euarglh]

It makes me remember my own story

[@ronstone6839]

I confess, I anticipated that something was going to go horribly wrong in the process. Thing is? As much as this is promising something in the utopia range for the patient, there are some emotional and psychological points that aren't considered. I lost my grandmother (Mom's mom) to a stroke around 1979. She lived in a nursing home for four years before she passed. It was a horrible strain on Mom, as much as she and her mother butted heads I know they still loved each other in their own way. Much as the son in this story. From this experience in her life, the one and only thing my mom EVER feared was having a stroke. Sadly, almost like a prophecy, this was what took her life in 2012. But I honestly think because she DID fear living after a stroke that in a way Mom willed herself to die rather than facing that. I'm not sure either would want to be uploaded to a database to "live" electronically.

[@WilliamGibble]

One thing about life, none of us will get out alive..

[@HightLink]

don't think you can transfer consciousness, I believe you can only create a copy and the original dies...

[@sandrafreeman515]

Amen to that! In my opinion, he killed her; maybe unknowingly as the process wasn't clearly explained, but she died either way. That uploading BS is nothing more than a video or picture of her, in my opinion. People can't seem to grasp that a copy is not the real person so cloning dead pets or people does not get the original back; just a twin that looks like the original. Orphan Black: Echoes is dealing with this idea too.

[@KrisRyanStallard]

Is this a re-upload or was it really only 4 months ago that I watched this for the first time and was freaked out?

[@grammybear4226]

🐼 Happy Holidays!! Big Panda Bear Hugs from a 70 yr old grandma in Texas, USA and by the way l'm subscribed and l hit Like. 🐼 ❤

[@daevydjae]

Now here's something that will bake your noodle. How do we know that we're not experiencing what she's experiencing at the end? 🤔

[@ScottGodin]

I was waiting for the Black Mirror type plot twist where he was the one in the simulation

[@oldschool8432]

Premium plan all the way

[@KimberNadine-q4v]

So sad. 😢

[@ThomasPCGuruENGINES]

I for one would jump at this. And we have to...we have to transcend our "quick" meat bodies to conquer time and leave this planet for the stars.

[@Lacieluxe]

This broke me

[@PoetDesh]

I am speechless, I am now eighty (80) and in moderate health. But, you never know.....

[@廣田達巳]

頭についたウインカーが最高｡人も車も…

[@ronhanks4610]

I would have to pass on this, I am going to be 57 years old and with the exception of me being a warrior and fighting and protecting others. My life is been filled with pain, to relive it the worth the suffering.

[@phillipnesmith2698]

Just think, what if your mind could go into a virtual world with many others and have all new experiences free from the pain. The future holds great possibilities, along with drawbacks too of course. We can only try to be optimistic and hopefully things like artificial intelligence don't end up backfiring on us.

[@廣田達巳]

私は今も正しかったのかと､自分に問うています。母の延命処置を望まなかったそれは母自身の考えでもありました。安らかに行くことを望んでいた母､そのとうりに静かに旅立ちました。しかし､私はとても辛いし寂しい思いと､それでよかったのか、本当に…と､今も答えがわかりません。この先も…｡

[@shad0wburn3d]

Soul Trap. Infinite Digital Prison.

[@horock07]

poderiam colocar a legenda cc em português?? o Brazil tem muitos amantes de sci- fi

[@FabianaFerreira-h2j]

Ne😢

[@Gorguruga]

Excellent short. Nicely directed and the actors were great. But did he just use his mother's brain to train an AI while nonchalantly sacrificing her life?

[@gagarinone]

In another excellent DUST short sci-fi film, it was an old woman's "soul" that was transferred into a young body, which was like when she was young, grown on her DNA. The old body was destroyed.

[@Finesse143Queen]

I jope they have that when i pass on thatd be amazzzing

[@pauldavey]

☺💗

[@overboss3152]

si seulement cela pouvait etre vrais...

[@ronagoodwell2709]

Would have been better if at the end we find it is Simon who is being rewired with memories of hs mother.

[@rkvkydqf]

It seems this world's version of brain upload is more of just preserving the memories, the mind unwrapped into all the tiny episodes that used to make it up... So in essence, Jessica was killed, killed to avoid dealing with the heartbreak of watching your loved one's mind slowly deteriorate, to avoid dealing with the complexities of a real person, forced to exist only as an immutable memory of herself for the still living to project their vision of themselves onto. While the ethical calculus does seem to point to the fact that if death is already approaching and carries quite a lot of pain, it is best to at least save what you can before it is too late, isn't it still fundamentally a selfish decision, to prioritize your memory of the person instead of their own experience of living...

[@DavidSphere-eu4mi]

True story.😂

[@ThisHandleIsDefinatelyTaken]

Ättestupa would be more convenient.

[@ryo_s_smile]

очень грустно

[@w.c.orielly9059]

THATS MESSED UP MAN.......

[@PrimitiveInTheExtreme]

☠🧠☠

[@kentwhoo]

I like good things. This is garbage. …with a lovely, to do.

[@LeenaStark]

“The only thing that burns in hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life: your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away, but they're not punishing you, they're freeing your soul. If you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. If you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels freeing you from the earth.” ― Meister Eckhart ( _movie: Jacob's Ladder_ )

[@donjames7971]

Where do we actually go, regardless of the technology; does Salvia hold the clue-key, the 'red' pill .. ?

[@TaneKarnes]

Does this mean the soul is trapped? 🤔 Stuck in a computer until deleted.

[@DavidSphere-eu4mi]

I wish my mom would 4get me. I DONT EVER WANT TO HERE HER VOICE AGAIN. Also notice all the open doors

[@DavidSphere-eu4mi]

Hear it! That's destiny coming 4 u all

[@DavidSphere-eu4mi]

Snared, cleaned, and cooked

[@DavidSphere-eu4mi]

Oooooh spooky!😮 My lawyer's would love it. Pack her up and we r going to arizona

[@DavidSphere-eu4mi]

God's thumb

[@frankwafer6919]

💯👍!