Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by! I'm a huge fan of DUST and honored to screen Kepler X-47 here. This film was inspired by my experience of chasing what I believed to be the American Dream. I'm forever grateful to the cast, crew, and backers who funded the film. Hope you enjoy!
Very interesting Short. I would enjoy more in this vein. I am curious, however, as to the choice of the French aristocratic style as opposed to a more contemporary setting. With that said, kudos for a well crafted film.
Some fun behind the scenes facts: We shot this in 4 days. Locations: a basement underneath a laundromat (every time someone flushed the toilet, we'd hear water trickling through the pipes), under the 6th street bridge in downtown LA, and on a green screen stage donated by Gnomon School of VFX. Because we had such limited time, and Bella was so prepared and immersed in her character, I often moved on after only one or two takes. She nailed the performances so quickly that I called her the one take wonder. You can catch Bella as The Red Spear on CURSED (Netflix), Astric on HUMANS (AMC), Helen of Troy in TROY (BBC/Netflix), and Delphine on PLEBS (ITV2).
Thanks for watching, Greg. Great question! Both costume designer, Elena Flores, and production designer Niko Vilaivongs used references from the Rococo and Baroque periods to shine a light on the materialistic, frivolous side of the American Dream and the objects and things that we covet and accumulate.
That's a nice view I would have kept walking. It's not cold or windy with an abundance of breathable air. That blinking light in the distance really intrigued me.
When Crystal realizes that living in a gilded cage is preferable than the freedom of nothingness, my human brain started spinning. Would I have turned around knowing what awaited me, or kept on running into the unknown? Great job to everyone!
We have two kinds of people today. Those that would accept the warm embrace of authoritarianism, and those that will not. One group is afraid, the other fears nothing.
impressive how you can take so much time for some shots in such a short movie, yet have a full fledged story with deep philosophical meaning. What an anti-Hollywood masterpiece. Not necessarily fun to watch, but absolutely food for thought.
The painting at the end coupled with the sound of gently blowing wind really gave me the feeling of what it would be like to stand on another world, hopelessly far from home. Really well done film.
Me too! I love the stars, the universe ect And I absolutely believe there is life on many different planets, solar systems, all that good stuff and one day in another life,I hope to see them ❤I actually know that I have already in past lives..Yes I am very spiritual… not not religious, not by any means, and without a doubt, I know the world we live in,is nothing like what we’ve been taught or told it is! And yes, glitches they do exist. I have experienced a couple of them that no matter how hard I try to rationalize them I can’t! This was an awesome!
@@Djjoeyd1167Dream and cope on, boy. There is no life after death and past lives don't exist. Better invest in biological rejuvenation (SENS org) and become like elves or die after a short, meaningless lifetime.
More than likely, the freedom was a lie. She was on an alien planet with no guarantee she would ever see Earth again. There was no guarantee that the light would provide her a way home, or that home would be there when she arrived. She wasn’t the adventurous type.
Me too. Moreover, the fear of being free. The turning around moment is a proof of our weakness. Or a confusion between what you are - a spirit vs of what you think you are - a body. As a body you need nutrients, so you decide to comeback to what you know that provides security. As a spirit?
Because many people find change frightening, even when they understand on an intellectual level that it's going to improve their lives. It's a similar mental process for prisoners who become institutionalised and can no longer cops with the outside world.
I would like to thank Erin Li, not often does the creator or person responsible for the video come on to the comments. So this is a great insight into the "why behind the what". Thank you Erin
Such a wonderful film. My interpretation is that the zoo keepers were conducting an experiment on her to test if they can break her spirit. They let her escape to see if she will come back voluntary. Perhaps they were comparing humans with other species taken from Earth. An eagle would venture into the unknown never looking back. What is freedom? Is it something that can be achieved or we live in a deterministic universe where free will is an illusion?
This is a perfect example of a sci-fi short done right! Many big budget sci-fi movies don't manage to capture the suspension seen and felt in this one.
@@Bildgesmythe someone mentioned above this resembled an old Rod Serling twighlight zone episode. either way, it made a valid point, will we choose peaceful slavery or dangerous freedom?
This short reminded me of a old Outer Limits (or maybe Twilight Zone) where humans were basically kept in a zoo by aliens to observe. This was quite interesting & curious too. Great job!
Everyone is led to believe there are only two options in this short film; run or submit. There is a third option, what if you could somehow gain the aliens' trust and learn what they know to become kind of like an equal? that would be cool.
Not all aliens are bad. I think humans suffer from fear of the unknown and are unwilling to explore, non mainstream narratives, except for the enlightened.
@@AssetH8ut2 In this situation, there is not much of a choice. It's like when Britain invaded the Americas. The Native Americans had to adapt or be destroyed.
Light years away from the love of her life and no possibility of procreation caused her to turn away from the flashing beacon and return to a life of torture. She wanted to leave because the solitude was unbearable, however, the possibility of even more solitude in worse conditions wasn’t a chance she was willing to take. I also believe she returned to have her memory wiped so she could start fresh instead of dealing with the pain of her past while attempting to communicate with a bunch of humans existing as shells of their former selves.
Although she appeared defeated and resigned in the closing scene, the inherent drive in the homo sapien species will constantly push any individual to amend the environment to their choosing whether it is an exercise in futility or success. Great movie, well done!
This was awesome. She knew there was nothing else but go back. Beautiful sky of night, would love to see it in the day. This really would be a horrible reality never to see Earth again. Honestly, who can say it haven’t happened, we will never know. A very good job all around guys. 😊👍
Congratulations to the whole team for this excellent short movie. However, special congrats to Erin Li, for directing, co-writing and co-producing the movie, to Kristin Fieldhouse for its great cinematography and to Bella Dayne for her marvelous interpretation of the main character, who cannot precisely decide which alternative is worse. What a great team and a great movie!!!
Earth is a rare paradise that should be cherished, protected and enjoyed. There's quite a few subtle concepts presented here... domination, quality of life, and dealing with the outcomes of our decisions. Are they displaying the couples or saving humans?
Saving a species by eradicating all but four of it and sending them into psychosis, as witnessed by three of the four? I don't think that washes, somehow.
Oftentimes, the *Hell* one is familiar with --- is more preferable than an unknown *Paradise.* _"When you're going through Hell ---- just keep on walking!"_ ✌
What a great short sci-fi film. The visuals are stunning, especially the last shot with the main character. The lack of exposition is wonderful. Kudos to the team.
I like the use of dissonance in the score. It communicates the uneasy feelings the actors are going through. Well shot, well acted, well finished in post.
Kepler X-47 was created by the amazing Erin Li and her talented team at the Directing Workshop for Women at AFI. Be sure to keep up with Erin's work by checking out her website and following her on Instagram: www.erinli.com/ instagram.com/mserinli/
_That’s right Crystal: One step at a time, “Look for the lights”. I got a little leery when she did a “Lot’s wife turn”, but she turn forward and never looked back_
Really interesting (absolutely horrifying) film. Excellently filmed with a fab cast! Loved this and wish it could have been longer...I would love to see more! 😊
Well done, Erin. Beautifully shot and realized. Some great Twilight Zone/Black Mirror vibes. I'm a big believer in the "zoo" concept of alien monitoring of humans. Needs a whole movie about it! You should write it!
We are and have been watched for over 6 thousand years That's why I enjoyed the concept 1 watching will give you life The other watching gives you death. Sad to say The majority have chosen death.
Amazing! I really appreciated the amount of nuance packed into these ~12 minutes. Also the diversity of the cast, the vision of the setting, and the way the primary actress conveyed the desperation and agony of being trapped in the exhibition. Well done!
Bella Dayne is beautiful, but not unparalleled. Catherine Deneuve, Nastassja Kinski, Grace Kelley, Lana Turner, Monica Belluci and Kate Beckinsale are only a few others that come to mind.
More likely like some out-of-this world episode of Westworld... I even wanted to ask where are the ancient Greek world, or that adventurous cowboy world with the space Yul Brynner...
So she traded her life of poverty for one of comfort in an alien human zoo, and when confronted with the choice of freedom or continued captivity she chose the latter. Great story.
Freedom to die. No shelter, no food. Everyone would make the same choice. If you did choose to die, it would probably not be by starvation, on an old lava flow. Star Trek is simply wrong. People lived far worse than this on Earth for thousands of years. Most of humanity had to labor 16 hours a day, so 0.01% did not have to do anything, but wage war on each other.
She was conned, like the millions of triple injected humans, now they need a 4th and 5th and 6th and 7th injection, Slaves under the Slave system, and with each injection, a little less freedom, a little more dependency. ESCAPE NOW !
@@SeaJay_Oceans lol. You have a right to do what you want to your body, but when your insanity tries to infringe on other's rights ... it's best you receive an immediate slap to your face.
It's obvious the air is breathable, but I'm not so sure 'freedom' is the right word. Escape from the confines imposed by the pod, yes, but it's barren outside. The light in the distance might indicate another pod with more humans or other species held in a pod or it could be living quarters for their anthropological scientists studying the humans. I guess we'll never know.
@@billyandrew Right, freedom may not be the right word. The only true freedom may be death. Are we ever truly free? We live in a type of prison in our own minds as well as the confines of society. I agree, we may never know. I tend to believe there's something beyond our understanding. A higher power, God or whatever. Maybe there's a plan and we will know. Maybe death is not the end. If it is we surly will never know. I do like how you put it. Pods of scientists studying the species of the universe?
This would be great a show. Dont tell the auidence its aliens until like season two. Make it seem supernatural for a while, ppl trapped, maybe a simulation vibe but then bam its this senario. They try and free earth later. Lots of potential.
Really deep and beautifully made short. Love your description about making it in all kinds of random places like a basement. Definitely not something you think about when you watch a movie (or a short).
Not for me. Felt like a redo of the Twilight Zone 'human zoo' episode. In the end she really didn't show any courage - she went back into her cell, presumably to save her own life, to only keep existing. Survival without meaning. I would have liked to have seen her be faced with a high risk choice: go back to the meaningless cell, or attempt a high risk escape that would require greater courage, and have a slim chance of success with the expectation that she would lose her life if she fails. Then the story would be one of 'I can't live unless there is meaning in my life'. Instead, it was "I tried a little, but resigned to living a meaningless life." She didn't thank him for the extra food...so I thought there was going to be a redemption on her part, where she chooses a self-sacrifice to help another. So all in all, she doesn't thank him for the extra food, makes a simple attempt at escape, does not try to take anyone with her, leaves them behind, comes to a dead end, then goes back to a meaningless life - not an interesting character for me. The captors had little to no role. Missed opportunity to do something interesting with them. Backstory implies it was her choice to leave home & family and have such a life. So in that respect, she did make the choice once again, to accept her meaningless life at the end. Plus, she didn't fight or struggle for that life, it was just handed to her.
Enjoyed this very much. Echos of the 1960s Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man”- Aliens want to serve humankind and off everyone goes, then those waiting to leave realize the book “To Serve Man” the aliens brought was a cook book.
🟦 She was told to "Get out while you can" and "Follow the light!". ......Well, the "Light" was a blinking-one on the right side of the screen (about 2/3rds down from the top),....but she didn't GO towards it!!
This was really good. The acting and cinematography were well done as well. The only dislike i have is the ending. I think Crystal going towards the unknown small beacon would have been much better than just turning around. An ambiguous ending is better than a hopeless one.
*Bri* He told her to look for the light, but when she realised they weren't on earth she just gave up, even though the light was flashing on the horizon...maybe a beacon set up by other escapees?
@@billyandrew that’s just it. We don’t know what it could’ve been or what the guy meant. But it still was a chance for her. I’m sure she knew she was not on earth with those creepy non humans staring at her 24/7.
*Kelley Jensen* 👏👏👏👏 Interviewed, in order to take part, it crossed my mind as well. BB, but the 'studio' placed on another, remote planet, maybe even a moon, so the volunteers can't just climb the wall to escape back to their normal lives, be that what it may, to warn other potential 'contestants' of the consequences of taking part. The beacon light she saw in the distance might have been another zoo pod and I wish she'd at least went there to investigate. I got the initial impression, with the intro talking of homo sapiens and their potential for violent reactions in the past tense that these four were the only ones the aliens allowed to live, but I could be wrong.
Okay... I figure the ambitious, strong-willed people were probably eliminated from consideration early on. Notice their selection advertisement appealed to the decadent and soft. Her lack of will to continue her escape once she realized it involved a long hike is consistent with that. The costumes also suggest a culture we tend to call "decadent". So I'm thinking this is some sort of commentary on people being lazy and preferring an artificial, comfortable life over the struggles of a "real" one? Of course, all of us playing with our computers and video cameras are hardly in a position to criticize -- none of us are running out to build cabins in the wilderness so we can live like Daniel Boone.
Partly true, but not in my own case. I haven't built a cabin, however, I can fashion the required tools to do so, but prefer creating lean-tos or pits, etc...even make a soft bough hammock, in fact. Basically, I can survive in the wild, but live in a city and take every opportunity to go back to that wild. 😂
2:29 "This species [humans] finds purpose in feeding, grooming, mating, and acquiring objects"... "they are prone to violence and self-destruction". BEST DESCRIPTION OF HUMANS EVER! :-)
Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by! I'm a huge fan of DUST and honored to screen Kepler X-47 here. This film was inspired by my experience of chasing what I believed to be the American Dream. I'm forever grateful to the cast, crew, and backers who funded the film. Hope you enjoy!
Very interesting Short. I would enjoy more in this vein. I am curious, however, as to the choice of the French aristocratic style as opposed to a more contemporary setting. With that said, kudos for a well crafted film.
Some fun behind the scenes facts: We shot this in 4 days. Locations: a basement underneath a laundromat (every time someone flushed the toilet, we'd hear water trickling through the pipes), under the 6th street bridge in downtown LA, and on a green screen stage donated by Gnomon School of VFX. Because we had such limited time, and Bella was so prepared and immersed in her character, I often moved on after only one or two takes. She nailed the performances so quickly that I called her the one take wonder. You can catch Bella as The Red Spear on CURSED (Netflix), Astric on HUMANS (AMC), Helen of Troy in TROY (BBC/Netflix), and Delphine on PLEBS (ITV2).
Thanks for watching, Greg. Great question! Both costume designer, Elena Flores, and production designer Niko Vilaivongs used references from the Rococo and Baroque periods to shine a light on the materialistic, frivolous side of the American Dream and the objects and things that we covet and accumulate.
@@ErinLi Full credit to the both of them, it was very successful done. And again I am very keen to see more of the work of you and your talented team.
@@gregmchurch Thanks so much, Greg!! It's a tough road so your support means a lot. I really appreciate you taking the time to watch!
this movie looks like personal Facebook page to me. You are watched, monitored and controlled.
That's a nice view I would have kept walking. It's not cold or windy with an abundance of breathable air. That blinking light in the distance really intrigued me.
Right? He said run toward the light.
@@AMOKIAN. In that scenario it would be BETTER , no matter how it ended up .
When Crystal realizes that living in a gilded cage is preferable than the freedom of nothingness, my human brain started spinning. Would I have turned around knowing what awaited me, or kept on running into the unknown? Great job to everyone!
Remember, Crystal volunteered to leave earth. She volunteered to return to her cage.
@@markbigelow2608 I'd join you Mark!
We have two kinds of people today. Those that would accept the warm embrace of authoritarianism, and those that will not. One group is afraid, the other fears nothing.
@@Edmund_Mallory_Hardgrove A wonderful response!
@@Edmund_Mallory_Hardgrove But when you're deserted in the abyss of space, your protest quickly thins out into silence.
impressive how you can take so much time for some shots in such a short movie, yet have a full fledged story with deep philosophical meaning. What an anti-Hollywood masterpiece. Not necessarily fun to watch, but absolutely food for thought.
The painting at the end coupled with the sound of gently blowing wind really gave me the feeling of what it would be like to stand on another world, hopelessly far from home. Really well done film.
Me too! I love the stars, the universe ect And I absolutely believe there is life on many different planets, solar systems, all that good stuff and one day in another life,I hope to see them ❤I actually know that I have already in past lives..Yes I am very spiritual… not not religious, not by any means, and without a doubt, I know the world we live in,is nothing like what we’ve been taught or told it is! And yes, glitches they do exist. I have experienced a couple of them that no matter how hard I try to rationalize them I can’t! This was an awesome!
Painting? Huh? What painting??? Speak English.
@@Djjoeyd1167Dream and cope on, boy. There is no life after death and past lives don't exist. Better invest in biological rejuvenation (SENS org) and become like elves or die after a short, meaningless lifetime.
The last scene where she turned around , reminded me of how people will give up their freedom for security.
false security, not even real...people give up on freedom and privacy and become modern slaves..it's all about the propaganda.
More than likely, the freedom was a lie. She was on an alien planet with no guarantee she would ever see Earth again. There was no guarantee that the light would provide her a way home, or that home would be there when she arrived. She wasn’t the adventurous type.
Me too. Moreover, the fear of being free. The turning around moment is a proof of our weakness. Or a confusion between what you are - a spirit vs of what you think you are - a body. As a body you need nutrients, so you decide to comeback to what you know that provides security. As a spirit?
@@orange11squares Yes, the propaganda that you are just a body, not a spirit incorporated in a body. And they choose the slavery for nutrients.
*orange11squares*
Propaganda is only effective on the susceptible.
Even knowing they are being subjected to it, most still succumb.
Very deep. Understanding why people go back to abusers even when they see the light that takes them from the abusers.
Why why they still go back when they see the light plz tell me
Because many people find change frightening, even when they understand on an intellectual level that it's going to improve their lives.
It's a similar mental process for prisoners who become institutionalised and can no longer cops with the outside world.
Cope, that should say cope. F***ing predictive text!
@@bibibinafnaf1638
"Some of them wants to abuse you"
"Some of them wants..."
I would like to thank Erin Li, not often does the creator or person responsible for the video come on to the comments. So this is a great insight into the "why behind the what". Thank you Erin
Jon, thank you for taking the time to watch and really appreciate your kind note! Happy to help provide more insight into the process.
@@blaisebaileyfinnegan8202 hahahahaha!
@@ErinLiid like some more insights. Sometimes there is more truth than fiction in films.
this is symbolic to the lives of so many of us.. slaves to a system, trapped by our minds, limiting ourselves to serve
Such a wonderful film. My interpretation is that the zoo keepers were conducting an experiment on her to test if they can break her spirit. They let her escape to see if she will come back voluntary.
Perhaps they were comparing humans with other species taken from Earth. An eagle would venture into the unknown never looking back. What is freedom? Is it something that can be achieved or we live in a deterministic universe where free will is an illusion?
This is exactly what I think
I think it is a test.
This is a perfect example of a sci-fi short done right! Many big budget sci-fi movies don't manage to capture the suspension seen and felt in this one.
Wow, thanks for the compliment! Appreciate you taking the time to watch.
Yes! I am so tired of movies and TV rehashing the same old stories, Star Trek, Star Wars, comic books from the past. Nice to see new plots!
@@Bildgesmythe someone mentioned above this resembled an old Rod Serling twighlight zone episode. either way, it made a valid point, will we choose peaceful slavery or dangerous freedom?
This short reminded me of a old Outer Limits (or maybe Twilight Zone) where humans were basically kept in a zoo by aliens to observe. This was quite interesting & curious too. Great job!
Twilight Zone. Roddy Macdowell stared.
@@malirabbit6228 Yes, we all know. No need to go ape about it.
@@heedmywarning2792 I beg your pardon? Did I some how offend you by telling the actors name?
@@malirabbit6228 I did not know about it so thanks for telling us - and ignore the troll @Heed My Warning.
There's also an episode of Star Trek TOS - Menagerie. And Slaughterhouse 5, book then film. But this short gives it a few interesting twists.
Reality! What a concept. Guess we are not in Kansas anymore.
Choosing the safety of captivity over the bleak outlook of surviving on an alien world. Helluva ending. Well done.
Everyone is led to believe there are only two options in this short film; run or submit. There is a third option, what if you could somehow gain the aliens' trust and learn what they know to become kind of like an equal? that would be cool.
Also, what makes everyone think they are aliens? What if they are just "ascended" humans made out of machine parts?
@@user2C47 That is a good point
Not all aliens are bad. I think humans suffer from fear of the unknown and are unwilling to explore, non mainstream narratives, except for the enlightened.
You would have to sacrifice your humanity; is it worth it?
@@AssetH8ut2 In this situation, there is not much of a choice. It's like when Britain invaded the Americas. The Native Americans had to adapt or be destroyed.
Light years away from the love of her life and no possibility of procreation caused her to turn away from the flashing beacon and return to a life of torture. She wanted to leave because the solitude was unbearable, however, the possibility of even more solitude in worse conditions wasn’t a chance she was willing to take. I also believe she returned to have her memory wiped so she could start fresh instead of dealing with the pain of her past while attempting to communicate with a bunch of humans existing as shells of their former selves.
That,s a very interesting theory
Thank you DUST!
This is stunning. I love the quandry at the end - what is best, the cage or the vast emptiness...I'm not sure what I would choose.
Emptyness (freedom), provided you can survive there, but cage, if you cannot, as in this case.
The lights were blinking in the distance - run / walk in that direction.
@@SeaJay_Oceans and if that is another blinking cage? but, yea, at least to check.
@@Oleksiy777 Hope for her sake, the other location is not the alien's, 'Jurassic Park' zoo !
Although she appeared defeated and resigned in the closing scene, the inherent drive in the homo sapien species will constantly push any individual to amend the environment to their choosing whether it is an exercise in futility or success. Great movie, well done!
It is not Homo Sapiens that does that. It is God's grace and a few heroes.
The inherent drive in homo sapiens, is to survive.
... and gather pills. Perhaps make wheels. Share information and thoughts.
Regards from a Tom :)
All the sacrifice means nothing to those who have everything
She is heavenly.
This was awesome. She knew there was nothing else but go back. Beautiful sky of night, would love to see it in the day. This really would be a horrible reality never to see Earth again. Honestly, who can say it haven’t happened, we will never know. A very good job all around guys. 😊👍
Now I am crying. Thanks.
Best promo I've seen in a long time. More Danhausen and let him just go nuts creatively. He's gold.
a really thought provoking topic.
Congratulations to the whole team for this excellent short movie. However, special congrats to Erin Li, for directing, co-writing and co-producing the movie, to Kristin Fieldhouse for its great cinematography and to Bella Dayne for her marvelous interpretation of the main character, who cannot precisely decide which alternative is worse. What a great team and a great movie!!!
Thanks for watching and the kind words, Alex!
This story deserves to be an opera.
Black mirror final style and I already saw a similar ending like that in the movie Signal with Lawrence Fishburne. Very good short
Thanks so much for watching and the kind words, Luciano!
Big Panda Bear Hugs from a 68 yr old Grammy from Kirby, Texas, USA 🐼
Absolutely clever, a really great metaphor. One of by favorite short ever
Incredibly beautiful visuals of her escape on the alien world.
Earth is a rare paradise that should be cherished, protected and enjoyed. There's quite a few subtle concepts presented here... domination, quality of life, and dealing with the outcomes of our decisions. Are they displaying the couples or saving humans?
Saving a species by eradicating all but four of it and sending them into psychosis, as witnessed by three of the four?
I don't think that washes, somehow.
Abolish ALL non human animal prisons .Great short ....loved the Rocco theme of the human primate enclosure
Have always loved Dust
Just could not find it again for a long time
Darn good job to all
Love from Australia
Oftentimes, the *Hell* one is familiar with --- is more preferable than an unknown *Paradise.*
_"When you're going through Hell ---- just keep on walking!"_ ✌
What a great short sci-fi film. The visuals are stunning, especially the last shot with the main character. The lack of exposition is wonderful. Kudos to the team.
Thanks, Kevin!!
We need a part 2!!! We need to know what’s in the unknown!!!
I like the use of dissonance in the score. It communicates the uneasy feelings the actors are going through. Well shot, well acted, well finished in post.
They was chosen to go on to a strange planet and thought they was going to have a fabulous life
Exactly.
Her: Oh well..may as well turn around.
Observer 1: Yes! I told you they'll do that. Now pay up!
Well done this short 🇳🇿👊👍
Kepler X-47 was created by the amazing Erin Li and her talented team at the Directing Workshop for Women at AFI. Be sure to keep up with Erin's work by checking out her website and following her on Instagram:
www.erinli.com/
instagram.com/mserinli/
Wonderful. However, like all your (DUST) videos, you shrink the ending so we cannot see the credits. Wish we can see everything.
I still don't get the "food" they served ???
*Kris Helfferich*
Cinematic shorthand.
The genre is called science _fiction,_ rather than fact, remember?
@@billyandrew hmmm.
@@krishelfferich3487 it's medicine food that has all nutrients
At least there's wine.
This made me realise how much I want to chew my food.
_That’s right Crystal: One step at a time, “Look for the lights”. I got a little leery when she did a “Lot’s wife turn”, but she turn forward and never looked back_
"A new life awaits you in the off-world colonies!"
(Couldn't resist.....)
Simply spectacular darling…
Viva Dust!
Really interesting (absolutely horrifying) film. Excellently filmed with a fab cast! Loved this and wish it could have been longer...I would love to see more! 😊
Thanks!! I'm working on it!
Being a prisoner in a zoo is not a life. Into the great unknown and freedom!!!
Well done, Erin. Beautifully shot and realized. Some great Twilight Zone/Black Mirror vibes. I'm a big believer in the "zoo" concept of alien monitoring of humans. Needs a whole movie about it! You should write it!
We are and have been watched for over 6 thousand years
That's why I enjoyed the concept
1 watching will give you life
The other watching gives you death. Sad to say
The majority have chosen death.
If that were me I would find a way out. Harry Houdini once said, “ there’s always a way out”, or something like that.
No where's to go,Dang crazy 😦😧 Awesome..
Amazing! I really appreciated the amount of nuance packed into these ~12 minutes. Also the diversity of the cast, the vision of the setting, and the way the primary actress conveyed the desperation and agony of being trapped in the exhibition. Well done!
Thank you, Candice!! Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and the kind words. 🙏
To see "diversity" of skin colour as a determinant of value is super racist!
May be, the #1 BEST Sci Fi I've EVER SEEN.
Super concept, story line, and everything makes this
film, #1🎶🌻
Bella Dayne is an actress of unparalleled beauty. Amazing!
Bella Dayne is beautiful, but not unparalleled. Catherine Deneuve, Nastassja Kinski, Grace Kelley, Lana Turner, Monica Belluci and Kate Beckinsale are only a few others that come to mind.
@@michaeld2519 well, she is peerless today. Maybe with the exception of Scarlett JOhansson
I definitely would've hiked on into the distance to check out that blinking light..
Reminds me of that classic Twilight Zone episode, "People Are Alike All Over", except more detailed. Well done. 🙂🙂
Wow, that is a huge compliment. Thanks so much 🙏
More likely like some out-of-this world episode of Westworld... I even wanted to ask where are the ancient Greek world, or that adventurous cowboy world with the space Yul Brynner...
Very good reference as well.
I too was about to say that. (re: the Twilight Zone reference.)
@@shykitten55 Great minds think alike. 🙂🙂
I liked this. It's arty and challenging. Also the soundtrack
This was amazing I was enthralled from start to finish.
So she traded her life of poverty for one of comfort in an alien human zoo, and when confronted with the choice of freedom or continued captivity she chose the latter. Great story.
Freedom to die. No shelter, no food. Everyone would make the same choice. If you did choose to die, it would probably not be by starvation, on an old lava flow. Star Trek is simply wrong.
People lived far worse than this on Earth for thousands of years. Most of humanity had to labor 16 hours a day, so 0.01% did not have to do anything, but wage war on each other.
She was conned, like the millions of triple injected humans, now they need a 4th and 5th and 6th and 7th injection, Slaves under the Slave system, and with each injection, a little less freedom, a little more dependency. ESCAPE NOW !
@@SeaJay_Oceans lol. You have a right to do what you want to your body, but when your insanity tries to infringe on other's rights ... it's best you receive an immediate slap to your face.
@@MuantanamoMobile good luck in Texas Buddy
@@SeaJay_Oceans So getting a vaccine in your world is the same as bring locked in a zoo. LoL, Whatever your on. Please share.
Nothing outside. Fake inside. I'd still choose freedom. I wonder if zoo animals feel the same way. Maybe not. Strange film and story. Well done.
It's obvious the air is breathable, but I'm not so sure 'freedom' is the right word.
Escape from the confines imposed by the pod, yes, but it's barren outside.
The light in the distance might indicate another pod with more humans or other species held in a pod or it could be living quarters for their anthropological scientists studying the humans.
I guess we'll never know.
@@billyandrew Right, freedom may not be the right word. The only true freedom may be death. Are we ever truly free? We live in a type of prison in our own minds as well as the confines of society. I agree, we may never know. I tend to believe there's something beyond our understanding. A higher power, God or whatever. Maybe there's a plan and we will know. Maybe death is not the end. If it is we surly will never know. I do like how you put it. Pods of scientists studying the species of the universe?
This would be great a show. Dont tell the auidence its aliens until like season two. Make it seem supernatural for a while, ppl trapped, maybe a simulation vibe but then bam its this senario. They try and free earth later. Lots of potential.
Trapped on a barren planet with no where else to go but back to the house and the pill food and another day to be on display at the human zoo.
A defeatist attitude and possibly why they selected her for their zoo.
To gather resources for the next attempt?
Regards from a Tom :)
Really deep and beautifully made short. Love your description about making it in all kinds of random places like a basement. Definitely not something you think about when you watch a movie (or a short).
Thanks so much, Inna! Yes - the trials and tribulations of independent filmmaking, haha.
Love this, another great work by Erin Li - glad this is getting the attention it deserves!
I really love this!
BRILLIANT!!!
Excellent! Haunting.. I see a parallel to this theme already in the matrix we are living in already
Not for me.
Felt like a redo of the Twilight Zone 'human zoo' episode.
In the end she really didn't show any courage - she went back into her cell, presumably to save her own life, to only keep existing. Survival without meaning.
I would have liked to have seen her be faced with a high risk choice: go back to the meaningless cell, or attempt a high risk escape that would require greater courage,
and have a slim chance of success with the expectation that she would lose her life if she fails. Then the story would be one of 'I can't live unless there is
meaning in my life'.
Instead, it was "I tried a little, but resigned to living a meaningless life."
She didn't thank him for the extra food...so I thought there was going to be a redemption on her part, where she chooses a self-sacrifice to help another.
So all in all, she doesn't thank him for the extra food, makes a simple attempt at escape, does not try to take anyone with her, leaves them behind,
comes to a dead end, then goes back to a meaningless life - not an interesting character for me.
The captors had little to no role. Missed opportunity to do something interesting with them.
Backstory implies it was her choice to leave home & family and have such a life. So in that respect, she did make the choice once again, to
accept her meaningless life at the end. Plus, she didn't fight or struggle for that life, it was just handed to her.
Nothing like a crust of DUST !
Definitely the stuff of nightmares
Enjoyed this very much. Echos of the 1960s Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man”- Aliens want to serve humankind and off everyone goes, then those waiting to leave realize the book “To Serve Man” the aliens brought was a cook book.
Exactly. Reminded me of the same episode!
Hahahahahahahha
An invitation to dinner, not as a guest, but an ingredient.
Oh no, spoilers! 😉
Didn't The Simpsons make a Halloween episode based on "To Serve Man" many years ago?
Certified Gold!!!!!
🟦 She was told to "Get out while you can" and "Follow the light!".
......Well, the "Light" was a blinking-one on the right side of the screen (about 2/3rds down from the top),....but she didn't GO towards it!!
Look for the light.
Vivaldi rules!
This was really good. The acting and cinematography were well done as well. The only dislike i have is the ending. I think Crystal going towards the unknown small beacon would have been much better than just turning around. An ambiguous ending is better than a hopeless one.
yeah and that one cat said something about the light when they were takin im out
@@PropagandaFacts exactly, she just totally ignored that possibility of freedom. Chances were slim but hell, still a chance.
*Bri*
He told her to look for the light, but when she realised they weren't on earth she just gave up, even though the light was flashing on the horizon...maybe a beacon set up by other escapees?
@@billyandrew that’s just it. We don’t know what it could’ve been or what the guy meant. But it still was a chance for her. I’m sure she knew she was not on earth with those creepy non humans staring at her 24/7.
@@PropagandaFacts - She didn’t go because she figured the love of her life wouldn’t be there and there was no hope for procreation and a family.
This one was fantastic
This reminds me of the movie "The Signal".
If you haven't watched it yet, please don't
You will have an existential crisis.
Grabs you and keeps you right to the end!
Music was perfect as well!
Just amazing. Always appreciate a story that makes you think on multiple levels and this does just that!
story? i thought it was a reality show.
*Kelley Jensen*
👏👏👏👏
Interviewed, in order to take part, it crossed my mind as well.
BB, but the 'studio' placed on another, remote planet, maybe even a moon, so the volunteers can't just climb the wall to escape back to their normal lives, be that what it may, to warn other potential 'contestants' of the consequences of taking part.
The beacon light she saw in the distance might have been another zoo pod and I wish she'd at least went there to investigate.
I got the initial impression, with the intro talking of homo sapiens and their potential for violent reactions in the past tense that these four were the only ones the aliens allowed to live, but I could be wrong.
Truly well developed and nurtured ..we all are in a cage and our conscious part truly free thank you ..thank you..london uk
Okay... I figure the ambitious, strong-willed people were probably eliminated from consideration early on. Notice their selection advertisement appealed to the decadent and soft. Her lack of will to continue her escape once she realized it involved a long hike is consistent with that. The costumes also suggest a culture we tend to call "decadent".
So I'm thinking this is some sort of commentary on people being lazy and preferring an artificial, comfortable life over the struggles of a "real" one?
Of course, all of us playing with our computers and video cameras are hardly in a position to criticize -- none of us are running out to build cabins in the wilderness so we can live like Daniel Boone.
Partly true, but not in my own case.
I haven't built a cabin, however, I can fashion the required tools to do so, but prefer creating lean-tos or pits, etc...even make a soft bough hammock, in fact.
Basically, I can survive in the wild, but live in a city and take every opportunity to go back to that wild.
😂
2021 so true that humans opt for artificial security rather than natural counterpart. And you know what I mean -- BOOSTERS.
Orwell meets one flew over the cuckoo's nest, meets the matrix...love the sim glitches in the background....good little piece here‼️🏁🏁🏁🏆
Matrix?
I don't see the connection.
You just made my day. I love all of those films!
Really enjoyed this movie
Great film. What a beautiful sky that planet had. I would have ran to the hills.
Thoroughly enjoyable
Beautifull absolutly beautifull film , Nothing else to say.
Insidiously, and genteelly, horrific! Awesome.
Loved it. Nothing else needs to be said..👍👍
I have been binge watching your videos since I found your channel !!
Absolutely FANTASTIC !!!
Creepy and Intense! Well done!
truly amazing and outstanding
Scenic echoes of Arthur C Clarke
2:29 "This species [humans] finds purpose in feeding, grooming, mating, and acquiring objects"... "they are prone to violence and self-destruction". BEST DESCRIPTION OF HUMANS EVER! :-)
I challenge sci-fi short film makers to make something unique. I'll wait.
Fantastic work! Maybe my favorite DUST to date.
Beautifully done Erin!! Amazing job!
She obviously didn't see the flashing light at the end of the valley. Guess the light was brighter than she was.
This was very good. Well done.
Brilliant... 😎❤