Somebody: A Clever Messaging App Film from Comedian Miranda July

The sharing economy is getting crowded: apartments, cars and even dinner tables — but what about personal interactions and real-life conversations? Comedian and writer Miranda July takes that question and applies it to her latest short-film for the clothing brand, Miu Miu, which perfectly captures “the strange tenderness of contemporary relationships.”

Somebody — not just anybody – is a clever parody app that lets you pick random strangers to deliver personal messages to friends or enemies. Just like Lyft or Uber, you can even rate their performance once you receive your in-person message from a special Somebody.

Use Somebody when…

…you want to confess your love but you don’t actually want to confess your love. (Write a script for your stand-in that includes the direction [Nervous.])

…you want to send an appealing stranger to your friend. (But read his ratings and reviews first!)

…you can’t go to the party but you want your presence felt. (Send a stand-in to compliment the host!)

…you want to meet new people nearby. (Pick a floating message and deliver it!)

…you want to create a once-in-a-lifetime, real, unpredictable experience for a friend!

When you can’t be there… Somebody can.

The app is currently available in the App Store, but there are only so many users and few hotspots sponsored by Miu Miu. Think museums or the Venice Film Festival, where the short had its world premiere.

Current Hotspots to send messages to Somebody:

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (with a presentation by Ms. July on Sept. 11), The New Museum (presentation on Oct. 9), Yerba Buena Center for The Arts (San Francisco), Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), and Museo Jumex (Mexico City.) Museum-goers are invited to send and deliver messages in these spaces where there are likely to be other users.

You can also invite users to the app and create your own hotspot, though that might diminish the fun a bit if all the users are people you know.

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