Now that the Fantasia Film Festival is over for 2021, Mother of Movies featured 3 entire showcases from the short film selection. The final section for review is from the science fiction genre. Nine sci-fi short films from all over the world rely heavily on character-driven storylines. “Silly Human”, “Freya”, and “Rachels Don’t Run” were my favorites from this batch. Overall, the whole section was solid viewing. Here are mini-reviews for each of the titles in the International Sci-Fi Short Film Showcase.
Radical Spirits Collection / Small Guage Trauma Collection
“Mark II”
“Don’t accept the life you are given.”
Quote from short film Mark II
Unsatisfied with his 9 to 5 office job, and envious of those opting for a self-improvement process, Mark begins discussions to evolve. He wants to be a robot. He talks to his wife who seems dubious of the idea. After some soul-searching dreams of grandeur burst out of him. But he’s on a journey to receive the gift of “more from life.”
After some time the deed is done and his friends and family await the new and improved Mark II.
The short film does an exceptional job of forming a picture in your mind’s eye. Imagine some super high-tech walking, talking futuristic artificial intelligence with Mark’s brain sealed inside.
From the view of his loved ones waiting for the big reveal, we hear Mark’s voice as he arrives home in his new and improved self. Mark asks for a mirror. His exterior looks very much like a robotic vacuum with a camera on top of it.
For more information on Mark II see the official film’s website. Directed by Brent Howard.
“Freya” – International Sci-Fi Short Film
Freya is a fully automated voice control assistant similar to Siri but much more advanced. The idea for this short film is not new and it reminded me a little of the “Nosedive episode” in Black Mirror which also taps into this type of theme. Despite this, the universe created here is centered on Freya being a governing body for all people. Instead of a rating system and social media status, Freya rates and analyses every movement. The short film follows Jenny, a 35-year-old, deemed a “higher weight than normal geriatric” by her eye in the sky, Freya.
The film also touches on topical world issues like autonomy over one’s body. What begins as a playful jaunt in a futuristic world as we watch Jade select a man for the night as easily as on Tinder quickly sours and gets dark. Jade becomes pregnant. For the sake of the new world, Freya’s (“Federally Regulated Inquiry and Yield Assistant,”) ability to be reasoned with is admonished. She can control what Jade eats, and more importantly what her new future will look like.
Freya is a convincingly International Sci-Fi Short Film that manages to cram a lot into a small space.
Directed by Camille Hollett-French / Starring the screenwriter Rhona Rees.
The Girl on the Moon
As the only film at the Fantasia Film Festival, I could find from Australia, The Girl on the Moon follows one girl’s plight to experience Earth. Luna’s only experience with her Mother Earth is through virtual reality. Most of this is captured with a green screen. The set props are minimalistic but work for the intended purpose.
The Girl on the Moon is set in 2069 and stems from Luna’s indigenous background to hone in on her obsession with the ocean as well as being able to get back to her family. However, as the only girl ever to be born on the moon, her mother tries to convince her she is more important where she is.
DIRECTOR Georgina Jenkins.
“Updated” International Sci-Fi Short Film
Updated is a dark science fiction short film that offers insight into assistive technology. This time in the bodies of those over 70. eNa is a system that allows loved ones to monitor and control aspects of perception. A mother is battling dementia as her son and soon the stepdaughter arranges to get married. She is tormented by frightening hallucinations and the technology implanted in her eyes, gives her a certain relief.
As the wedding draws near, her hallucinations get worse. Her son decides to implement an upgrade that is supposed to allow for further relief. Of course, the idea that we use technology in this way is what the director Nivi Pedersen wants you to ponder as she etches out the repercussions of the what if?
“Updated” is a well-executed short film that deep dives into a “how far is too far?” scope when it comes to when and where these types of advancements should be used.
For more information on Updates, see the official website.
“The Offer”
The Offer is an atmospheric journey. It follows two sisters at the end of a weekend together in the wilderness. Encased in a techno-throbbing ambiance that builds the tension just as much as the narrative, The Offer will have you think about many ideas. Some alien entity has convinced one of the sisters to leave Earth. As they walk they talk about dominance and intelligence and the desire to be unlike those simply happy with being told how to live.
“Is dominance a sign of intelligence or is there more to life than being governed?”
Alongside the stunning natural landscape, The Offer gives you food for thought.
DIRECTED by Sam Shapson.
“Rachels Don’t Run”
In another film about AI companions, I was completely invested in the fact Rachel’s Don’t Run is both a complete story and a brilliant centerpiece for a bigger story. Leah, played by Sera Barbieri is amazing in her role as a behind-the-scenes customer service officer for a service that provides artificial conversation to people.
In a world where we hear that people only ever want to speak to a real person, Rachel’s Don’t Run explores whether that idea is true. After listening in on a conversation with a client called Isaac, she overrides the call and takes over as herself.
Rachels Don’t Run is a clever and intimate portrayal of what human nature often uncovers and despite being a single-location film, utilizes its run time with plenty of room for more. This title is my favorite from the list of hits at the Fantasia Festival from the International Sci-Fi Short Film section.
Directed by Joanny Causse / Rachels Don’t Run website.
International Sci-Fi Short Film Showcase
“Silly Human”
Another favorite for Mother of Movies, Silly Human is set entirely in black and white. With a Big Brother atmosphere, two actors get ready to take the stage. The stage is set for a 1950’s sitcom. For most of the film, the danger awaiting is hinted at but always leaves you guessing as to what it might be. The two actors push out a quick rehearsal before going live as the audience is let in on the big reveal.
This is no ordinary sitcom and the people behind the show aren’t people at all. Silly Human is a dark and simply cool short film that pokes fun at the entertainment industry and its ideas of perfection and fame. The darkest film in the science fiction collection, the finale will blow you away.
Directed by Cory Williamson
“Standing Woman”
In an idealistic world, criminals could be an asset to the planet instead of just taking up space. In Standing Woman, Tony Hipwell has built a universe where those convicted of crimes are chemically planted and turned into trees. The things that determine what is or is not a crime are relatively minor as opposed to the traditional sense of lawbreaking. Crimes against the state and anything it represents will see your feet in the dirt.
A journalist responsible for advertising the government’s eco-friendly propaganda finds himself in a quandary when his wife gets taken away to be planted.
Standing Woman toys with ideologies that explore memories, systematic government, and the environment. The short film has some wonderful effects that add a very human touch to an otherwise completely fictional world.
Directed by Tony Hipwell
The Recycling Man
Carlo Ballauri’s The Recycling Man sets itself in a world reduced to something that looks like what would happen if Star Wars meshed with Mad Max. The special effects in The Recycling Man are awesome. Additionally, the story envisions a world where children are against the law. The Recycling Man collects reported children and takes them away, in the same way, a garbage truck would. It’s an excellent example of an International Sci-Fi Short Film.
A woman lives with her young son in an apartment overlooking the city. She is unable to escape the violence of what happens outside her windows. Soon she decides to report a young pregnant woman. All she wants is the award that will allow her to buy a better life for her son who is in a wheelchair.
The Recycling Man is an astonishing film. The title twists in a different direction every time you think you know how it will end.
Check out the title’s Facebook Page for more info. Directed by Carlo Ballauri / Starring Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Virginia Newcomb.
