Feeling Through (2019) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

A homeless teenager who instinctively reaches out to help a stranger, showing street-smarts and a hidden capacity for care. He weighs risk and altruism as he guides Artie to the bus stop and builds trust through small, patient gestures. His moral complexity becomes evident when he pockets Artie’s money, only to later place it in a sleeping homeless man’s cup, revealing a conflicted but generous streak.

• 🌆 Street-smart
• 💙 Compassionate
• 🤔 Conflicted

A deaf and blind man who navigates the city with a cane and written cues, relying on Tereek to reach his bus. He communicates through notes and shared moments of trust, and he reveals a personal memory by mentioning he was on a date. His vulnerability and resilience underscore the humanity that can emerge in unlikely friendships.

• 🧭 Guidance
• 💙 Resilient
• 🌈 Vulnerable

A sleeping homeless man who embodies the quiet, unseen presence of city life. He serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerable individuals surrounding the protagonists. The scene underscores the moral undertone of the night, where acts of generosity circulate within the margins of the streets.

• 🗽 Marginalized
• 🌃 Quiet
• 💤 Sleeping

A late-night service worker who enables the characters to buy a drink and interact in a real-world setting. The cashier adds a tangible, everyday touch to the night walk and grounds the moment in ordinary city life.

• 🧾 Service
• 🕰️ Late-night
• 🗣️ Brief

A background figure representing the ongoing presence of homelessness in the city. His presence frames the social context of the night and the characters’ choices within it.

• 🗽 Marginalized
• 🌃 City-life
• 🧍‍♂️ Background

The bus driver who brusquely agrees to assist Artie, playing a small but pivotal role in ensuring Artie’s safe crossing. The moment highlights a practical yet human moment of cooperation within the city’s routines.

• 🚌 Driver
• 🤝 Cooperation
• 🗣️ Brief

Compassion drives the central bond between Tereek and Artie. Their reluctant first interaction evolves into a survival-based friendship built on trust and care. The film uses their exchange to show that small acts of kindness can pierce even the darkest urban nights. It also explores how empathy can override personal risk in moments of need.

Altruism is tested when Tereek chooses to stay with Artie instead of rushing home to his girlfriend's message. The characters weigh self-interest against helping a stranger, and their decision reveals a capacity for selflessness. Artie’s reliance on Tereek to navigate crossing the street highlights how generosity can bridge vulnerability. The story suggests that altruism can emerge in fleeting, everyday encounters.

The film places two vulnerable individuals within a bustling cityscape that amplifies their fragility. It highlights the stark contrast between homelessness and ordinary city life, showing how people from different worlds intersect by chance. Nighttime NYC streets serve as a backdrop where trust, risk, and mercy contend with cold practicality. The urban environment becomes a character itself, shaping choices and outcomes.