What Does It Cost To Be Civil?
In a retro-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.”
What Does It 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. It asks: what happens when civility becomes a demand instead of a choice—and who decides what’s civil?
Short film
RT: 24 min
Producer & Director: Ina Adele Ray
Co-Producer/Line Producer: Mateen Kemet
Creative Producer: Keren Southall
Director of Photography: Natalie Newman
Producer & 1st AD: Quyên Nguyễn-Lê
Script Supervisor: mikO Tolliver
Follow on IG: @whatdoesitcosttobecivil
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