In the science fiction short film NEW, an elderly couple is resurrected from cryogenic preservation by the advanced technology of the distant future.

Hugh (Jared Abrahamson) and Candace (Joslyn Jensen) decide to have their remains cryogenically frozen in 2012 in the hopes the future will possess the technology to revive them.

Their gambit pays off.

Not only is the couple resurrected in the unspecified distant future, but their bodies have been healed of all prior injuries and medical ailments. Also, their bodies have been rejuvenated to their youthful prime.

As they have a joyful reunion, Hugh and Candice soon realize the future they now inhabit has very little in common with their past life.

All their children, family, and friends are now long deceased. The couple must acclimate to a world transformed, including new technology, the evolution of the language, and different social mores.

While they are treated with kindness by their doting guide Noelle (Jennifer Lafleur), they recognize the world sees them as hallowed artifacts from a bygone era.

Soon Hugh and Candice must deal with the strains on their marriage their new circumstance is causing.

The idea of an individual awakening into a distant future after being cryogenically frozen or placed in suspended animation is an extremely common trope in science fiction.

Written and directed by John Harden, NEW is remarkable due to it not glossing over the very real culture shock a person would most likely experience.

Instead, the short is an emotionally engaging, poignant look at one couple struggling to find their place in a world that is familiar, yet not.

WATCH NEW in its entirety here…

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