UNSEEN, a new short film by Shalom Gorewitz, explores the quiet power of aging, identity, and memory in modern urban life.

 

Set against the backdrop of New York City's East and West Village, Wall Street, Spanish Harlem, and the Upper West Side, UNSEEN follows three longtime friends—each once celebrated in their respective fields—as they navigate the isolating experience of growing older in a city that no longer seems to see them.

 

Told entirely without dialogue, the film relies on an original score and evocative text voiceovers to reveal the interior lives of its characters: Hector Morales (played by poet David M. Katz), a Latin jazz musician; Ruth Benadava (played by poet Rachel Hadas), a Classics scholar with more than twenty books to her name; and Raven (played by Roy Wallace, a practicing attorney) who was once a hi-profile, popular poet.

 

A central emotional thread in the film is Raven's battle with writer's block—a silence that mirrors his growing invisibility. During a spontaneous visit to a political rally in Bryant Park, near the iconic New York Public Library, Raven finds his voice once again. The energy and urgency of the protest stir something within him, culminating in a powerful, newly written poem that serves as the film's final, resonant note.

 

"The city is the fourth character," says the film's director. "Its beauty and indifference mirror the internal journeys of these extraordinary individuals who, despite being 'unseen,' still pulse with creativity, reflection, and grace."

 

For the soundtrack of UNSEEN, Gorewitz collaborated with Song Generator IO, an advanced AI music tool, to craft the film's unique musical atmosphere. By providing thematic prompts and emotional cues, Gorewitz guided the AI to produce original pieces that echo the characters' inner lives and the city's shifting moods. This innovative use of AI allowed the team to blend human creativity with cutting-edge technology, resulting in a soundtrack that feels both intimate and timeless.

 

UNSEEN is a meditation on legacy and connection, artfully blending sound, text, and image into a tender portrait of friendship and perseverance.