The Camera Within

Matthew Baudelaire was an average 24-year-old man. He had recently graduated from New York University and was living in Manhattan. He was a starting intern at an engineering firm and was quite happy. Everything seemed to be going well. On Monday morning, 6 a.m sharp, Matthew rose from his plaid bed sheets and sleepily turned off his alarm. He threw on a pair of khakis, a cream-colored sweater and a pair of dress shoes before heading to his kitchen. He ate the same breakfast every day, eggs and toast with orange juice. He sat down at his brown table and ate silently. Matthew then took his car keys and drove to work. He greeted his fellow employees and started on his tasks for the day. At 12:00 p.m, he went on his lunch break to a nearby cafe and ordered his usual: a turkey panini with a coke. At 12:30, he returned to work and continued his tasks. At 5:00 sharp, he left his office and started his commute home. He then turned on the evening news and made dinner: chicken with vegetables. After 7:00 he took a shower and dressed into pajamas. He then read a book for promptly an hour and went to bed. The next morning at 6 a.m sharp when Matthew rose from his plaid bed sheets and sleepily turned off his alarm...

The audience watched intently as Matthew followed his daily routine. 200 people were seated in the bleachers were the watching one-way window film box in the middle of the room, and 5,000 people nationwide were watching from their homes. A little girl in Paris, a whole family in Marseilles, a teenager from Nice...

Matthew rose again from his bed on Wednesday, 6:00 a.m, feeling a strong sense of emptiness. He had never felt this way before. He went to get his breakfast and felt emotionally drained. What was going on? It felt almost like he was trapped in a never-ending loop. Matthew paused for a minute and reflected on his past days.