Review: i hope they remember my name

Last modified date

Struggling with depression, a famous vlogger travels to Asia and documents his search for dopamine.

Patrick Weiers’ i hope they remember my name examines the toll of modern society’s ubiquitous online presence. In this short fictional film, a well-known YouTube vlogger, known as “Alex K.T.,” travels to Asia in search for drugs to ease his depression. Relying on authentic vlog aesthetics, such as direct-address and jump cuts, along with ‘outtakes’ and intimate un-broadcasted moments, this film reveals the emotional and mental labour that goes into vlog production.

Weiers asks the following question: what happens when a vlogger, who earns his living through his upbeat online presence, no longer feels the emotions he embodies in his videos? This question permeates the film, from its first moments to the its dramatic conclusion. i hope they remember my name is a timely film that paints an intimate portrait of the potential effects of social media on mental wellbeing.

More info & links:

  • Director: Patrick Weiers
  • Official Website
  • Facebook
  • i hope they remember my name screened at the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival in 2020.

Rachel Loewen

Film Reviewer

Rachel Loewen is a film studies master’s student at Carleton University. She is currently writing a thesis about the different genres of anorexia vlogs on YouTube.