The experiment proves only partially successful, perhaps because it's difficult not to be a little too aware of the pitfalls such a solipsistic story faces and the strategies Swicord uses to overcome them.

Wakefield illustrates what white privilege is all about - the ability to step out of one's own life, abdicate responsibility, and still one's loved ones are OK, their safety, livelihoods, and overall quality of life remains intact.

The film seems at least peripherally aware that what he does to his family is unconscionable, so the pathos comes from the bitter irony of the cost of his new found self-awareness.