Throughout history, human beings have gone to immense lengths to look away. We cling to a philosophy of not seeing—to justify inaction, to excuse the absence of change. Yet in a time when claiming a lack of information has become increasingly implausible, the reality remains the same.
We live surrounded by images of human suffering. Almost unable to look away from misery unfolding across the world, we are constantly confronted with its horrors—yet we remain anchored to our comforts. Our routines reassure us that everything is fine. Most of us participate in this behavior. Don’t believe me? Look in your pocket. There’s an iPhone there, isn’t it? Or any other smartphone. You’re probably aware, at least to some extent, of its questionable origin story—and yet it’s still there. Why didn’t you change your mind? Why did you buy it anyway?
Because this is how the world works. You didn’t invent the wheel. Neither did I.
And above all—it’s convenient.
My deep fascination with this subject, and its urgent relevance, led me to independently create this film, Welcome to the Family. The film deliberately deceives its audience by subverting familiar genres and cinematic tropes. It removes the viewer’s ability to comfortably judge the protagonist—a morally questionable ex–coal tycoon dealing with the death of his wife while being haunted by his toxic industrial past. It invites an unsettling recognition: the distance between his choices and our own may be smaller than we would like to admit.
Welcome to the Family exposes a darker part of ourselves—one that thrives on selective blindness and selective empathy.
Or would you act differently?