Kalhil Adames begins his short film Identity with the poignant words, “ Today, I found the truth,” eager to immediately appeal to his viewers’ intrigue. Identity begins with a cacophony of static radio voices drawing viewers into the idea of a collective identity. Social Identity Theory states that individuals in a group take on the group’s identity. Adames illustrates this theory and conveys the social conformity in high schools by using masks that cover student faces. These masks exemplify a loss of individuality. The radio static in the beginning, the cluster of girls following a poster telling them what and who to be, the progressive stages of rebellion by the protagonist, and changing of masks to fit in aptly illustrate the main idea…show more content… Radio noise becomes overwhelming and tapers off, leading to the main character’s opening line concerning finding the truth. The cessation of the recorded voices conveys a strengthening of the protagonist’s personal will and desire to find who she truthfully is. She wants to stop adhering to other people’s expectations. The choice to have different voices sound like radio chatter sparks the idea in Adames’s audience that external expectations and pressures of society are comparable to constant radio noise; a buzz of static that mimics external influences on who to be, how to feel, and how to act. Susan J. Douglas articulates in her book Listening in: Radio and the American Imagination to “ask anyone born before World War II about the role of radio in his or her life” because the role played by radio is such an influential one (3). The director hopes to help viewers connect with the radio static sounds, as they resemble commercials and programs on television today that are constantly pressuring about how to feel, look, and act. Finding a way to cut off the chatter and find her voice shows a distinctive rebellion by the main