Abstract

The article explores the multi-faceted storytelling in the film Modern Times and links between labor, identity construction through labor, and happiness in the film, echoing current conversations on post humanism automation and artificial intelligence (AI) labor. Through an analysis of the film’s narrative, and a comparative study with other texts and films that deal with labor identity and the human condition in the recent years, I argue that Modern Times features an invisible narrative layer about the distinct identity of the perpetual Modern nomad, whose birth is communicated by the life of the film’s hero, the Tramp, and his inadaptable nomad identity. Additionally, I contend that this peripatetic identity of the “becoming child” standing in the spine of the film speaks volumes about the permanence/impermanence of our human condition vis-à-vis automation and labor, when confronted with technology, AI automation, and new modalities of labor. Furthermore, in dialogue with recent science fiction films, the article reveals how the ideology of the “becoming man” emerges, contrasting with older conceptualizations of the human condition, despite advancements in technology, AI automation, and evolving labor modalities.