Maybe It's Okay To Feel A Little Disappointed?

This Isn’t the Future I Ordered: Eye Filmmuseum Program Taps into Collective Disappointment

It’s… well, it’s a lot, isn’t it? That’s kind of the feeling the Eye Filmmuseum’s new program, “This Isn’t the Future I Ordered,” seems to be getting at. I went to a preview – just me, trying to be supportive, you know? – and it really made you think.

The program, curated by Farah Hasanbegović, isn’t exactly cheerful. It’s more… honest. It feels like everyone’s been thinking these things but not really saying them out loud. Hasanbegović talked about how things just feel…off. Like, remember when we all thought the future would be sleek and amazing? Now it just feels…artificial, somehow. And lonely. A lot of the films seem to touch on that loneliness, that feeling like things aren’t quite right.

They’re showing a bunch of different films, from Harun Farocki’s Parallel I to Alexei Dmitriev’s The Sadness Will Not Last Forever. Honestly, the titles alone are pretty evocative. I haven't seen all of them yet, but I did check out Dream of Silk by Nahid Rezaei on the Eye Film Player – it’s available online, which is convenient. And Cat Listening to Music by Chris Marker? That was… surprisingly poignant. A cat listening to music! It just felt relevant, somehow.

It’s not a happy program, definitely. But it's strangely comforting to see these feelings explored on screen. Like, maybe other people feel this way too? Maybe it’s okay to be a little disappointed with how things turned out.

“This Isn’t the Future I Ordered” is showing at the Eye Filmmuseum from July 23rd. It's a good chance to just… process things, I guess. It's probably good to go with a friend, though. Or maybe someone who's good at cheering you up. Just in case.