We Live In Public

Dir. Ondi Timoner
U.S., 2008, 90 mins.

Filmmaker Ondi Timoner has the remarkable ability to make the documentary personal. In her latest film, We Live in Public, Timoner questions our society’s obsession with posting nearly our entire personal lives on the Internet for public consumption by painting a detailed portrait of 90s subculture maverick Josh Harris.

The audience watches Harris’ triumphant rise to success starting in the mid-80s as one of the original “dot com kids.” Nearly a decade-worth of footage reveals why Harris was considered the “Warhol of the Web” with his wild, experimental antics throughout the 90s, particularly his most infamous one, entitled “Quiet.” Through this, Timoner implores the audience to question the fine balance between voyeurism and exhibitionism.

We Live in Public was fast-paced, entertaining, funny and critical. Timoner’s exposition had the audience constantly wondering what would become of Harris’s life – both on and off the Net.

The documentary could not come at a better time as our lives explode on social media websites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. We Live in Public was the 2009 winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.