The Freedom of Uselessness

The Freedom of Uselessness is a 2025 American experimental film conceived and created by Samuel Felinton and Declan Mungovan. At 144,000 minutes (2,400 hours or 100 days), it is the longest film of all time.

Production

The Freedom of Uselessness is structured around principles drawn from Taoism, a philosophical tradition that emphasizes non-striving and non-instrumentality. The film attempts to observe and record time itself, presenting prolonged duration as a deliberate challenge to conventional expectations of usefulness and productivity. Critics have interpreted this approach as engaging with themes of disengagement from utility and constant labor, linking the film’s conceptual framework to Wu wei and contemporary discussions of burnout.

The film focuses on two Marimo algae balls, informally named “Bubba” and “Spoiled,” which are shown floating in water throughout the duration of the project. Other objects, such as small figurines and a rock with googly eyes, periodically enter the frame.

The project was recorded in real time, live streamed, and continuously archived using an iPad in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Runtime

The film’s official runtime began on August 26, 2025, and concluded on December 4, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST, totaling 100 days (144,000 minutes / 2,400 hours). An extended version continued until December 19, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST, bringing the total runtime to 115 days (165,600 minutes / 2,760 hours).

The film surpassed the previous runtime record holder, Logistics, on October 1, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST, when it passed a duration of 35 days, 17 hours.

Trailer

The film’s trailer was released on December 21, 2025, with a runtime of 10 hours, surpassing the previous record of 7 hours and 19 minutes held by Ambiancé.

Reception

The film received a mixed reception upon release, that include a 0.5 out of 5 rating from Screen Critix, a 3 out of 5 rating from UK Film Review, a 4 out of 5 rating from One Film Fan, and a 6 out of 10 rating from Film Threat's Alan Ng, ending his review with,

It was also officially selected for and screened virtually as part of the Lift Off Global Network program, running from January 12 to January 25, 2026.