VHYes

VHYes is set in 1987, a time when VHS tapes, late-night television, and big-infomercials dominated the screen. The era’s analog technology shapes the narrative, with video recordings and broadcast Paraphernalia framing the events. The film uses this period to explore how memory is captured, stored, and revisited through dated media.

The story unfolds across a 1980s suburban neighborhood where Ralph records his world on a borrowed VHS camcorder. It also moves to a nearby sorority house on New Year's Eve, a setting tied to a local fire and a ghostly encounter. The juxtaposition of home life and a mysterious, public-facing space creates a contrast between intimate memories and eerie, televised visions.

🎞️ Memory & Media

Ralph's camera acts as a time machine that records more than events. It captures family moments, commercials, and the slow fracture of a marriage. The wedding video embedded in the tape becomes a lens through which nostalgia and present anxieties mingle. As scenes jump between past and present, memory emerges as a malleable, sometimes unreliable narrative.

🪞 Reality & Perception

A surreal talk-show segment and the deteriorating VHS blur the line between what is real and what is recorded. The ghostly encounter at the sorority house further complicates the sense of reality. Ralph’s journey through the ‘video world’ shows how perception can be manipulated by artifacts and memory. The film asks whether reality is something lived or something replayed.

💔 Family & Marriage

The central tension revolves around a marriage strained by distance and hints of infidelity. The mother offers a poignant memory from her wedding day to illuminate the complexity of love and commitment. The wedding video stands as both a relic of devotion and a reminder of fragility. The story suggests that honesty and facing truth are crucial to enduring relationships.