Who? Cares
Directed by: Fella Cederbaum | Reviewed by: Adva Reichman
Who cares? Is a short music video that questions every aspect of life and wonders who we truly are and what we actually stand for nowadays.
The music video stars Mahno Dahno and Mahni Dahni as two figurines wearing bird masks and colorful clothes. The two characters’ faces are hidden behind masks, which seems to give them a certain freedom to speak their mind about everyday issues alongside sensitive and polarizing ones. The filmmaker herself joins them as she plays the music to their words, and nods approvingly at their declarations.
Don’t be fooled by the amusing masks or the pleasant music, because this filmmaker is here to deliver harsh statements about racism, antisemitism, and the media, before moving on to the president, police, politics, Covid and so on. The chorus repeatedly asks the viewers “Who cares?” as we watch a fast forward version of random people going about their day in different locations. The only ones that stay put are Mahno Dahno and Mahni Dahni, but the crowd can’t see them, and it feels as if the answer to the question “who cares?” is delivered.
In her video, the writer/ director who also plays Mahno Dahno and Mahni Dahni, Fella
Cederbaum, spares nothing and no one. Being perfectly aware that she’s speaking up on
sensitive topics and occasionally expressing an unpopular opinion, she asks her listeners “Are you properly insulted now? Have I poked your favorite peeves? Are you outraged? Up in arms? Were your weaknesses unpeeled?... That’s the whole idea my friends. Remember, truth can not be felled.”
Now that she has your attention, she finishes by explaining that life happens in a certain way and that we should let go at times and follow its lead. There is too much hate and anger all around. At the end, all she really wants is for people to truly care about each other and the environment. Show responsibility and brotherhood, and not be taken by what is dictated from above. To let each other be, and embrace what is, while understanding what we really need and how we should get there as a society.
In her video, the writer/ director who also plays Mahno Dahno and Mahni Dahni, Fella
Cederbaum, spares nothing and no one. Being perfectly aware that she’s speaking up on
sensitive topics and occasionally expressing an unpopular opinion, she asks her listeners “Are you properly insulted now? Have I poked your favorite peeves? Are you outraged? Up in arms? Were your weaknesses unpeeled?... That’s the whole idea my friends. Remember, truth can not be felled.”
Now that she has your attention, she finishes by explaining that life happens in a certain way and that we should let go at times and follow its lead. There is too much hate and anger all around. At the end, all she really wants is for people to truly care about each other and the environment. Show responsibility and brotherhood, and not be taken by what is dictated from above. To let each other be, and embrace what is, while understanding what we really need and how we should get there as a society.
Adva Reichman is an Israeli writer-director based in Los Angeles; her latest film, Something to Live For deals with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and was screened at prestigious festivals. While in Israel, she worked in the Israeli news and on documentaries that revolved around major terror attacks and kidnappings that took place in Israel during the 70’s and 80’s. She is a graduate of the TV & Film Production MFA program at USC School of Cinematic Arts.
