• Title: Polis
• Creators: Steven Ilous (director, co-writer), Daniel Perea (writer)
• Starring: Parker Young, Dileep Rao, Mark Kelly
• Music: Electric Youth
• Length: 8:09
• Source, official sites: polisthemovie.tumblr.com, facebook.com/polisthemovie

Synopsis:

“Set in the distant future, POLIS is a sci-fi thriller about David Porter, a young telepath whose search for his mother threatens to uncover a utopian society’s horrifying secrets.”

Personal Thoughts:

I love everything about this short film, and curious for more. The cinematography is stylish, yet simple. The tech and environments are believable and not overdone. The acting is good (with added props to the intensity of the starring role), but not enough to make a clear case for great or terrible. The reactions and dramatic shootings give plenty to the higher grade modern effects.

The story itself, has more to go as short films of this type tend to do. It seems here, the classic case of science gone wrong, as an a subject escapes and discovers psychic powers that may change the world. Nothing quite new here, but never tiresome either. It’s the kind of story I see often in science fiction dystopian tales, yet feel there are still not enough ways to tell that. In this case, I like the idea of a moral conscience instilled in our hero from his mother, not so much from the predictable notion that a protagonist must be good.. This gives me optimism that the survival of the good will lead to better things to fix the “horrifying secrets” that are probably affecting others.

So do I want more? Yes. My hopes are that the movie is kept simple in terms of story, and pretentious as others of this type tend to be. I have a feeling the story would come to end full circle with some sort of reunion or conclusion with the mother figure and the role she plays. I would prefer this right balance of action, where the tech of guns and robots are awesome, yet the drama and intrigue focus remain the center of attention. I will keep an eye on this world of POLIS.