Airplane Mode

Airplane Mode is a 2020 Brazilian comedy directed by César Rodrigues and featuring a stellar cast including Larissa Manoela, Erasmo Carlos, and Katiuscia Canoro. The film crafts a hilarious yet thought-provoking narrative interspersed with moments of heartfelt thoughts.

Our protagonist is Ana, a social media star embodied by the talented Larissa Manoela. Ana’s world revolves around her cell phone. She's an influencer who boasts millions of followers across her various digital platforms and is consequently always on her phone, tweeting, posting, liking, streaming, and subscribing. Her fast-paced, frenetic digital life is filled with brand endorsements, countless selfies, and around-the-clock posts for her starry-eyed online followers. She's got her hands full juggling her digital obligations, her demanding brand partnerships, and her real-life relationships.

However, her socially networked world comes crashing down when Ana gets into a serious car accident because she was driving while trying to post on social media, leading her to put her online life on a hold for a while. This incident forces Ana to hit the pause button on her digital life and enter a self-imposed digital detox.

She's forced to live with her grandfather (Erasmo Carlos) far away from the city hustle. It’s here where she experiences a full-on culture shock. The grandfather lives in an old-fashioned house in countryside, where internet access is limited and a slower, un-digital life is the norm. This setting provides numerous laugh-out-loud moments where Ana's modern, technology-driven lifestyle collides with her grandfather's laidback, small-town pace.

Ana's detox journey serves as the central thread of the film's narrative, weaving together the comedic, dramatic and romantic elements that make Airplane Mode such a quirky yet profound film. It paints a striking portrait of today's influencer culture and the concept of internet addiction – an issue so aptly relevant in today's digital era.

On this journey, Ana's relationship with her family is put in sharp focus, including the pushy parents who vicariously live through their daughter's fame. Katiuscia Canoro puts in a brilliant performance as Ana's gaudy, super-enthusiastic mother who is as much an Instagram enthusiast as her daughter.

During her digital hiatus, Ana embarks on an exploration of her self-identity outside of social media and grapples with the disconnection she's experiencing. As days turn into weeks, she begins to see life beyond likes, notifications and followers. She learns that real life is indeed very different than the picture-perfect digital persona she had been showcasing to her followers all along. It's real, it's raw, and it's imperfectly beautiful in a way that no Instagram filter can mimic.

Let’s not forget, this film is a romantic comedy, so of course, love blooms in the most unexpected of places and situations. But this is no regular love story. The romantic subplot is one that reminds us that love unplugged is perhaps the best kind of all.

Through the protagonist's journey, Airplane Mode cleverly depicts the impact of technology on our personal lives, relationships, and mental health. It throws light on our growing dependency on social media, while also illustrating the need to unplug and reconnect with reality. The film manages to carry a significant social message without being preachy.

On the surface, Airplane Mode is a light-hearted comedy brimming with internet culture references that will resonate with any digital native. However, underneath the humor, the film harbors a deeper message about the importance of disconnecting to reconnect, reflected in the way Ana's character evolves throughout the film. An essential watch for the digital era, Airplane Mode, highlights the importance of a healthy balance between our online presence and real life.