A genre twist on suicide bombers.
I’ve spoken about this before, but in my opinion, science-fiction short films are the most difficult to make. Forget the cost-to-time ratio of producing quality effects in such a limited frame, sci-fi takes an exorbitant amount of exposition compared to other genres, even the simple stories – like technology gone haywire or an alien invasion – require explanatory scenes to set the proper context. So when I see a sci-fi short that masters both these elements, quality vfx and quality narrative, I become especially impressed and rush to my keyboard to share it with you guys.
Thus, I present to you SEAM, a 20-minute, high-concept, visually-dazzling short from twin brothers and writer-directors Rajeev and Elan Dassani, who have also worked as international unit producers on Star Trek: Discovery, Heroes Reborn, and Master of None. SEAM too, has a very international feel, having been shot across the Middle East and in China, presenting dialogue in three languages – Arabic, Mandarin, and English – and starring two international actors, Israeli Oded Fehr (24: Legacy, The Mummy) and Jordanian Rakeen Saad (3000 Nights, The Worthy). Dig the synopsis, provided by io9:
In the not-too-distant future, a tenuous peace between humans and remarkably humanlike “machines”—some don’t even know they’re not real—is tested when synthetics begin spontaneously exploding. A military-led search for these unwitting suicide bombers begins, sending a terrified machine woman and her human partner on the run.
I could have easily watched another 90 minutes of SEAM, it has that kind of universe built into it, one that’s constantly expanding in the imagination. Besides the breathtaking cinematography and vfx of the film – which are stars unto themselves – the Dassanis’ narrative is whip-smart, scarily-plausible, and expertly-realized. My bet? You’ll see a feature from these brothers in the next five years, and it will be SPECTACULAR. Imagine if you had seen a Wachowski short before The Matrix was made, one that hinted at the genre-shifting talent on the horizon? Yeah, SEAM is like that. If Phillip K. Dick was alive and writing today, this is the vein he’d be in. Stop what you’re doing and press play immediately.
Related Topics: Short Films
