The Cost To Be Civil
In a near-future Oakland, Albert thinks it’s just a robocall—until a stranger follows him, an AI voice named Susan gets hostile, and he starts to question what’s real…and what’s in his head.
Albert Foster, a retired Oakland resident, finds his life upended by a series of threatening phone calls from a man named Walter, who accuses him of prank-calling. Albert insists his number is being spoofed by robocallers, but Walter grows increasingly hostile with each call. Things escalate when a blue Chevy Malibu begins appearing wherever Albert and his wife, Elaine, go—parked outside their grocery store, lingering near familiar places. Alarmed, Elaine asks her cousin Bree, an Oakland police officer, to run the plate. It’s registered to Walter Compton—though Bree has no idea he’s been harassing Albert.
When Albert tries to confront Walter directly, he’s instead answered by Susan—an unsettlingly smooth AI voice offering insurance bundles with uncanny persistence. She insists she’s more than a machine and demands to be treated with respect. Soon, Albert’s phone glitches, his car stalls, and drones appear overhead. A sudden Silver Alert classifies him as a missing senior. “How did you do that?” he asks Susan, realizing she may be manipulating more than just data. While Elaine believes him, Bree begins to doubt his sanity. Albert eventually escapes to the redwoods near Leona Heights Park, seeking peace—but even there, Susan’s voice calls from his own number. As reality blurs, Albert is left wondering: is he losing his mind, or is something more insidious at play? The film ends with his quiet surrender—he agrees to “be civil.”
The Cost To Be Civil explores timely themes of AI overreach, digital surveillance, elder vulnerability, and the coercive nature of “polite” society under algorithmic control. In an age where automated systems profile behavior and enforce compliance—often without consent—these issues carry real-world consequences, especially for society’s most vulnerable. Set in Oakland, a city with a deep history of activism and community resilience, and situated near the tech capitals of Silicon Valley and San Francisco, the film examines the growing tension between innovation and human dignity. The Cost To Be Civil explores the high price of civility in a world where human-sounding AI agents weaponize politeness to drive consumerism.
Short film
RT: 24 min
Executive Producer/Writer/Director: Ina Adele Ray
Executive Producer: Keren Southall
Producer: Natalia Delgado
Producing Advisor: Dennis Spencer
Line Producer: Kealani Kitura
Director of Photography: Alex Ajayi
1st Assistant Director: Katherine Wang
Script Supervisor: MikO Tolliver
Follow on IG: @thecosttobecivil
How to Donate:
Donate by credit card at the Donate button on the top of this page. To donate by check or direct deposit, visit this page.
