Sci-Fi Short Film: "Kepler X-47" | DUST

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  • Опубликовано: 7 дек 2021
  • A woman struggles to adjust to her new life in a human zoo exhibit on an alien planet.
    Connect with the Filmmakers:
    www.erinli.com/
    / mserinli
    / byallisonlee
    / belladayne
    "Kepler X-47" Credits:
    Directed by Erin Li
    Written by Allison Lee & Erin Li
    Produced by Kaz Kipp, Gregory Chou, and Erin Li
    Co-Producer - Stephen Paratore
    Executive Producer - Michael C. Tung
    Director of Photography - Kristin Fieldhouse
    Production Designer - Niko Vilaivongs
    Costume Designer - Elena Flores
    Assistant Costume Designer - Megan Knowles
    Key Makeup Artist - Alexandria Storm
    Special Effects Make-up Artist - Cat Elrod
    Casting Directors - Shana Landsburg and Patrick Baca
    Editor - Susumu Kimura
    VFX Supervisor - Eric McAvoy
    Original Music - Robert Allaire
    Sound Design - Nathan Ruyle
    Line Producer - Andrew Cummings
    Associate Producers - Alex Andre, Ian Cuizon, Taylor Massey, and Stephanie Ng
    CAST
    KRYSTAL Bella Dayne
    MARCUS Leith Burke
    DAWN Eva La Dare
    RAY Ricardo Mamood-Vega
    THE INTERCOM Elisa Gabrielli
    LUCY Katherine Pawlak
    BILLY Tyler Parks
    ALIEN TOUR GUIDE Unati Mangaliso
    ALIEN SENTINELS - Henning Fischer and Folake Olowofoyeku
    ALIEN TOURISTS Jemal Draco, Elaine Mani Lee, and Elena-Cristina Marchisano
    EXTRAS
    Gabriel Alvarez
    Skeye Brühwiler
    Adam Choit
    Jennifer Kwon Chou
    Justin Forcier
    Steven Gallardo
    Jimmy Hang
    Madoka Kimura
    Alex Levine
    Kasia Middleton
    Jesseal Pacubas
    Emily Pumm
    Kenny Savoca
    Troy Schmidt
    Joshua Steffes
    CREW
    Unit Production Manager Kenny Savoca
    Production Coordinator Alex Levine
    1st Assistant Director Eric Leja
    2nd Assistant Director / Director’s Assistant Joshua Steffes
    2nd Assistant Director David Buchwald
    Camera Operators Aashish Ghandi
    Timothy Kang
    1st Assistant Camera Loie Russell-Templeton
    Sten Olson
    2nd Assistant Camera Lauren Wood
    Camera Utility / DIT / B Camera Mathew Wozniak
    DIT Glen Silva
    Sound Mixer / Boom Operator Canaan Triplett
    Gaffer Colin Oh
    Best Boy Electric Sam McConville
    Electricians Douglas E. Cook III
    Jason Cowan
    Sarah E. Fox
    Sam Klein
    Chaz Moore
    Austin Wood
    Key Grip Guy Pooles
    Best Boy Grip John Guberud
    Dolly Grip Andrew Harless
    Grips Nicholas Brightwell
    John Richard
    Art Directors - Warren Hickman and Kyle Caraher
    Art PA Skeye Brühwiler
    Makeup Artists Glen Griffin and Chelsea Reda
    Location Manager Jimmy Hang
    Script Supervisor Antoinette Luzano
    Craft Service Madoka Kimura
    Caterer Crafty Caterer
    Still Photographers Ryan Gayatinea, Randy Blohm, and Harrison Ciancuillo
    Key Production Assistant Liz Rutzky
    Production Assistants - Justin Forcier, Matt Ohlson, Charlie Schildt, Emily Pumm, Steven Gallardo,
    and Jesseal Pacubas
    Production Intern Matthew Snouffer
    Matte Painter Rei Sparks
    Title Designer William J. Meyer
    Compositor Lauren Coogan
    Rotoscope Artist Jean Jardeleza
    Additional VFX Viktor Metelev
    VFX Previsualization Consultants - Gabriel Chui and Neshant Kandakatla
    Audio Post Production Services This is Sound Design
    Supervising Sound Editor / Re-recording Mixer Nathan Ruyle
    Sound Effects Editor Aaron Bartscht
    Foley Artist Aidan Reynolds
    Vocalist (Aliens) Paul Matthis
    Cello Aniela Perry
    Additional Cello Derek Stein
    Digital Intermediate by Prehistoric Digital, Santa Monica, CA
    Colorist Chris Hall
    DI Producer William Adashek
    Online Editor Josef Sipkins
    Marketing Strategist Rachel Paturi
    Social Media Street Team Leader Marianne Auza
    A Project of the Directing Workshop for Women at AFI
    About DUST:
    DUST presents thought-provoking science fiction content, exploring the future of humanity through the lens of science and technology. From timeless classics to cutting-edge movies, series, short films, and podcasts, DUST acquires, produces and distributes all content types.
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    "
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Комментарии • 704

  • @ErinLi
    @ErinLi 2 года назад +750

    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!

    • @gregmchurch
      @gregmchurch 2 года назад +34

      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.

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад +65

      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).

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад +44

      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.

    • @gregmchurch
      @gregmchurch 2 года назад +12

      @@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.

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад +13

      @@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!

  • @zethraelofteldrassil3149
    @zethraelofteldrassil3149 2 года назад +333

    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!

    • @malirabbit6228
      @malirabbit6228 2 года назад +29

      Remember, Crystal volunteered to leave earth. She volunteered to return to her cage.

    • @fd_unger
      @fd_unger 2 года назад +5

      @@markbigelow2608 I'd join you Mark!

    • @Edmund_Mallory_Hardgrove
      @Edmund_Mallory_Hardgrove 2 года назад +62

      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.

    • @zethraelofteldrassil3149
      @zethraelofteldrassil3149 2 года назад +8

      @@Edmund_Mallory_Hardgrove A wonderful response!

    • @neptunianman
      @neptunianman 2 года назад +26

      @@Edmund_Mallory_Hardgrove But when you're deserted in the abyss of space, your protest quickly thins out into silence.

  • @MrBassbump
    @MrBassbump 2 года назад +36

    Very deep. Understanding why people go back to abusers even when they see the light that takes them from the abusers.

    • @bibibinafnaf1638
      @bibibinafnaf1638 8 месяцев назад

      Why why they still go back when they see the light plz tell me

  • @Sonofspam64
    @Sonofspam64 2 года назад +112

    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.

    • @Djjoeyd1167
      @Djjoeyd1167 9 месяцев назад

      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!

    • @CooManTunes
      @CooManTunes 6 месяцев назад +1

      Painting? Huh? What painting??? Speak English.

    • @ingwiafraujaz3126
      @ingwiafraujaz3126 6 месяцев назад

      ​@@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.

  • @ricrandmfx
    @ricrandmfx 2 года назад +215

    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!

    • @malirabbit6228
      @malirabbit6228 2 года назад +21

      Twilight Zone. Roddy Macdowell stared.

    • @heedmywarning2792
      @heedmywarning2792 2 года назад +6

      @@malirabbit6228 Yes, we all know. No need to go ape about it.

    • @malirabbit6228
      @malirabbit6228 2 года назад +8

      @@heedmywarning2792 I beg your pardon? Did I some how offend you by telling the actors name?

    • @Bryndeamer
      @Bryndeamer 2 года назад +7

      @@malirabbit6228 I did not know about it so thanks for telling us - and ignore the troll @Heed My Warning.

    • @KarelBata
      @KarelBata 2 года назад +11

      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.

  • @jond1536
    @jond1536 2 года назад +87

    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

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад +9

      Jon, thank you for taking the time to watch and really appreciate your kind note! Happy to help provide more insight into the process.

    • @zenokarlsbach4292
      @zenokarlsbach4292 2 года назад +1

      @@blaisebaileyfinnegan8202 hahahahaha!

  • @riza4086
    @riza4086 2 года назад +7

    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.

  • @NeonLightsMedia
    @NeonLightsMedia 2 года назад +126

    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.

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад +4

      Wow, thanks for the compliment! Appreciate you taking the time to watch.

    • @Bildgesmythe
      @Bildgesmythe 2 года назад +2

      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!

    • @JT-cf5ol
      @JT-cf5ol 2 года назад +1

      @@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?

  • @HaraldinChina
    @HaraldinChina 2 года назад +12

    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.

  • @bryantcolby4038
    @bryantcolby4038 2 года назад +23

    The last scene where she turned around , reminded me of how people will give up their freedom for security.

    • @orange11squares
      @orange11squares 2 года назад +6

      false security, not even real...people give up on freedom and privacy and become modern slaves..it's all about the propaganda.

    • @kathyt55
      @kathyt55 2 года назад +3

      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.

    • @ionutpopesc1289
      @ionutpopesc1289 2 года назад +4

      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?

    • @ionutpopesc1289
      @ionutpopesc1289 2 года назад +1

      @@orange11squares Yes, the propaganda that you are just a body, not a spirit incorporated in a body. And they choose the slavery for nutrients.

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад +2

      *orange11squares*
      Propaganda is only effective on the susceptible.
      Even knowing they are being subjected to it, most still succumb.

  • @TimeHunter2305
    @TimeHunter2305 2 года назад +15

    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?

    • @williamkinsey4979
      @williamkinsey4979 2 года назад +2

      This is exactly what I think
      I think it is a test.

  • @FlynnShade
    @FlynnShade 2 года назад +9

    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.

    • @user2C47
      @user2C47 Год назад +4

      Also, what makes everyone think they are aliens? What if they are just "ascended" humans made out of machine parts?

    • @FlynnShade
      @FlynnShade Год назад +1

      @@user2C47 That is a good point

  • @junglejon74
    @junglejon74 2 года назад +28

    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.

    • @Oleksiy777
      @Oleksiy777 2 года назад +3

      Emptyness (freedom), provided you can survive there, but cage, if you cannot, as in this case.

    • @SeaJay_Oceans
      @SeaJay_Oceans 2 года назад +3

      The lights were blinking in the distance - run / walk in that direction.

    • @Oleksiy777
      @Oleksiy777 2 года назад +1

      @@SeaJay_Oceans and if that is another blinking cage? but, yea, at least to check.

    • @SeaJay_Oceans
      @SeaJay_Oceans 2 года назад +3

      @@Oleksiy777 Hope for her sake, the other location is not the alien's, 'Jurassic Park' zoo !

  • @Snapper314
    @Snapper314 2 года назад +4

    I'm less then 2 minutes into watching and I already know they are in a ZOO.

  • @kingwillie206
    @kingwillie206 2 года назад +7

    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.

  • @TheLucianoDeodato
    @TheLucianoDeodato 2 года назад +21

    Black mirror final style and I already saw a similar ending like that in the movie Signal with Lawrence Fishburne. Very good short

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад +3

      Thanks so much for watching and the kind words, Luciano!

  • @adam1979NSmcc
    @adam1979NSmcc 2 года назад +3

    Choosing the safety of captivity over the bleak outlook of surviving on an alien world. Helluva ending. Well done.

  • @kimkeam2094
    @kimkeam2094 2 года назад +15

    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!

    • @josephkramer932
      @josephkramer932 2 года назад

      It is not Homo Sapiens that does that. It is God's grace and a few heroes.

    • @rpscorp9457
      @rpscorp9457 Год назад +1

      The inherent drive in homo sapiens, is to survive.

  • @ssshhhjjj192
    @ssshhhjjj192 Год назад +1

    Thank you DUST!

  • @TJ-fg3vs
    @TJ-fg3vs 2 года назад +51

    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! 😊

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад +6

      Thanks!! I'm working on it!

    • @markpotter2485
      @markpotter2485 2 года назад +3

      Being a prisoner in a zoo is not a life. Into the great unknown and freedom!!!

  • @EyeInTheSky982
    @EyeInTheSky982 2 года назад +33

    Reminds me of that classic Twilight Zone episode, "People Are Alike All Over", except more detailed. Well done. 🙂🙂

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад +6

      Wow, that is a huge compliment. Thanks so much 🙏

    • @corneldiaconu66
      @corneldiaconu66 2 года назад +1

      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...

    • @TheLucianoDeodato
      @TheLucianoDeodato 2 года назад +2

      Very good reference as well.

    • @shykitten55
      @shykitten55 2 года назад +4

      I too was about to say that. (re: the Twilight Zone reference.)

    • @EyeInTheSky982
      @EyeInTheSky982 2 года назад +1

      @@shykitten55 Great minds think alike. 🙂🙂

  • @alexbaran1167
    @alexbaran1167 2 года назад +42

    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!!!

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад +5

      Thanks for watching and the kind words, Alex!

  • @peterhynes102
    @peterhynes102 2 года назад +2

    Simply spectacular darling…

  • @lds9312
    @lds9312 2 года назад +6

    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. 😊👍

  • @ken1edd
    @ken1edd Год назад +1

    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! :-)

  • @TheKevKiev
    @TheKevKiev 2 года назад +45

    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.

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад +1

      Thanks, Kevin!!

  • @watchdust
    @watchdust  2 года назад +36

    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/

    • @briandonaldson612stringgui8
      @briandonaldson612stringgui8 2 года назад +4

      Wonderful. However, like all your (DUST) videos, you shrink the ending so we cannot see the credits. Wish we can see everything.

    • @krishelfferich3487
      @krishelfferich3487 2 года назад

      I still don't get the "food" they served ???

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад +1

      *Kris Helfferich*
      Cinematic shorthand.
      The genre is called science _fiction,_ rather than fact, remember?

    • @krishelfferich3487
      @krishelfferich3487 2 года назад

      @@billyandrew hmmm.

    • @penoymovierecap8783
      @penoymovierecap8783 Год назад

      ​@@krishelfferich3487 it's medicine food that has all nutrients

  • @tbearrails9983
    @tbearrails9983 2 года назад +3

    Reality! What a concept. Guess we are not in Kansas anymore.

  • @joebuzzborg4088
    @joebuzzborg4088 2 года назад +2

    She obviously didn't see the flashing light at the end of the valley. Guess the light was brighter than she was.

  • @Damian-nt1id
    @Damian-nt1id 2 года назад +5

    Absolutely clever, a really great metaphor. One of by favorite short ever

  • @joshhayl7459
    @joshhayl7459 2 года назад +14

    🟦 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!!

  • @ashokwwf
    @ashokwwf 2 года назад +1

    Now I am crying. Thanks.

  • @lerkkweed
    @lerkkweed 2 года назад +3

    Incredibly beautiful visuals of her escape on the alien world.

  • @christofferjohn2055
    @christofferjohn2055 2 года назад +1

    this is symbolic to the lives of so many of us.. slaves to a system, trapped by our minds, limiting ourselves to serve

  • @mitchelkvedar674
    @mitchelkvedar674 2 года назад +2

    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.

  • @RobersonPhoto
    @RobersonPhoto 2 года назад +9

    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!

    • @coldawson8486
      @coldawson8486 2 года назад

      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.

  • @innanatanel9708
    @innanatanel9708 2 года назад +11

    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).

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад

      Thanks so much, Inna! Yes - the trials and tribulations of independent filmmaking, haha.

  • @ragnargreystoke3271
    @ragnargreystoke3271 2 года назад +18

    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.

    • @savedone9636
      @savedone9636 2 года назад

      Exactly. Reminded me of the same episode!

    • @RonLarhz
      @RonLarhz 2 года назад

      Hahahahahahahha

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад +3

      An invitation to dinner, not as a guest, but an ingredient.

    • @DistracticusPrime
      @DistracticusPrime 2 года назад

      Oh no, spoilers! 😉

    • @TheSignOfZeta
      @TheSignOfZeta 2 года назад

      Didn't The Simpsons make a Halloween episode based on "To Serve Man" many years ago?

  • @marymagmartha7453
    @marymagmartha7453 2 года назад +2

    _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_

  • @coldawson8486
    @coldawson8486 2 года назад +2

    Have always loved Dust
    Just could not find it again for a long time
    Darn good job to all
    Love from Australia

  • @ToLiveistoDie
    @ToLiveistoDie 4 месяца назад

    Best promo I've seen in a long time. More Danhausen and let him just go nuts creatively. He's gold.

  • @MissMarinaCapri
    @MissMarinaCapri 2 года назад +2

    If that were me I would find a way out. Harry Houdini once said, “ there’s always a way out”, or something like that.

  • @jonibaroque8788
    @jonibaroque8788 2 года назад +3

    Abolish ALL non human animal prisons .Great short ....loved the Rocco theme of the human primate enclosure

  • @docwil2541
    @docwil2541 2 года назад +2

    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.

  • @NightBazaar
    @NightBazaar 2 года назад +6

    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.

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад

      A defeatist attitude and possibly why they selected her for their zoo.

  • @bgsound2721
    @bgsound2721 2 года назад +2

    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?

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад

      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.

  • @ismayilarifoglu6226
    @ismayilarifoglu6226 2 года назад +3

    this movie looks like personal Facebook page to me. You are watched, monitored and controlled.

  • @KFRogers263
    @KFRogers263 2 года назад +47

    Just amazing. Always appreciate a story that makes you think on multiple levels and this does just that!

    • @kelleyjensen8559
      @kelleyjensen8559 2 года назад +1

      story? i thought it was a reality show.

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад +1

      *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.

  • @TheEtbetween
    @TheEtbetween 2 года назад +3

    They was chosen to go on to a strange planet and thought they was going to have a fabulous life

  • @raphlvlogs271
    @raphlvlogs271 2 года назад +7

    a really thought provoking topic.

  • @davidanelson1
    @davidanelson1 2 года назад +1

    This story deserves to be an opera.

  • @catherineoyster9060
    @catherineoyster9060 2 года назад +4

    Love this, another great work by Erin Li - glad this is getting the attention it deserves!

  • @stevenscott2136
    @stevenscott2136 2 года назад +20

    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.

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад

      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.
      😂

    • @kahnfatman
      @kahnfatman 2 года назад

      2021 so true that humans opt for artificial security rather than natural counterpart. And you know what I mean -- BOOSTERS.

  • @loughkb
    @loughkb 2 года назад +18

    Now that, was well done! Excellent scifi horror. I felt each emotion, couldn't look away. And whomever did the sound design absolutely nailed it! That damned music! It's going to be awhile before I can enjoy a good string quartet now. Ha!

    • @bobroberts6155
      @bobroberts6155 4 месяца назад

      Agreed, that unsettlingly banal score drained all the joy and life out of the baroque music leaving it just as barren as the physical cage.

  • @thetalkingshrimp5683
    @thetalkingshrimp5683 2 года назад +40

    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.

    • @ChessMasterNate
      @ChessMasterNate 2 года назад +1

      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.

    • @SeaJay_Oceans
      @SeaJay_Oceans 2 года назад +2

      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 !

    • @MuantanamoMobile
      @MuantanamoMobile 2 года назад +9

      @@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.

    • @SeaJay_Oceans
      @SeaJay_Oceans 2 года назад

      @@MuantanamoMobile good luck in Texas Buddy

    • @meoff7602
      @meoff7602 2 года назад +5

      @@SeaJay_Oceans So getting a vaccine in your world is the same as bring locked in a zoo. LoL, Whatever your on. Please share.

  • @rtpoe
    @rtpoe 2 года назад +2

    "A new life awaits you in the off-world colonies!"
    (Couldn't resist.....)

  • @billmurray7473
    @billmurray7473 2 года назад +2

    This is what The Lockdown of 2020
    felt like.

    • @caitlingill
      @caitlingill Год назад

      Oh come on it was pretty bad but not THIS bad, at least it eventually finished and I could still FaceTime people, watch RUclips, and read

  • @mx_lei
    @mx_lei 2 года назад +10

    I liked this. It's arty and challenging. Also the soundtrack

  • @ernestoduran6075
    @ernestoduran6075 2 года назад +3

    We need a part 2!!! We need to know what’s in the unknown!!!

  • @leahhammond410
    @leahhammond410 2 года назад +2

    Brilliant... 😎❤

  • @tsunadespreading406
    @tsunadespreading406 2 года назад +2

    This movie kinda reminds me of:
    Sci-Fi Short Film “In Captivity"

  • @TheGreenNewSteal2025
    @TheGreenNewSteal2025 2 года назад +1

    Ah, she chose safe servitude over dangerous freedom. She belongs there.

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад

      Possibly why she was selected and he was obviously mistreated, as they misjudged him.
      The guy that sat on his own on the other side of the table, with nis nervous mannerisms and incoherent mumbling interested me.
      I think he was the first specimen they selected.
      That's assuming, of course, they were all from the same planet.
      🤔🤔🤔

  • @karimbennett5651
    @karimbennett5651 2 года назад +1

    Powerful!

  • @candicem9651
    @candicem9651 2 года назад +28

    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!

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад +1

      Thank you, Candice!! Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and the kind words. 🙏

    • @NietzscheanMan
      @NietzscheanMan 2 года назад +6

      To see "diversity" of skin colour as a determinant of value is super racist!

  • @forestsky7064
    @forestsky7064 Год назад +1

    May be, the #1 BEST Sci Fi I've EVER SEEN.
    Super concept, story line, and everything makes this
    film, #1🎶🌻

  • @danielhanawalt4998
    @danielhanawalt4998 2 года назад +4

    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.

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад +1

      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.

    • @danielhanawalt4998
      @danielhanawalt4998 2 года назад

      @@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?

  • @gravygames5945
    @gravygames5945 2 года назад +1

    I cant see many people talking about something pretty huge in this short, as the guy gets dragged away he says 'look for the light'. When she leaves theres a blinking light in the distance, this could have been help, maybe some sort of ally or alien that thinks the zoo is cruel. Maybe she noticed but she decided the journey was too much and the freedom wasn't worth it.
    Super interesting

    • @williamkinsey4979
      @williamkinsey4979 2 года назад

      I think it,s bait the light was just another zoo

  • @slimbim77
    @slimbim77 2 года назад +1

    Viva Dust!

  • @hawkmoon4459
    @hawkmoon4459 2 года назад +1

    Thoroughly enjoyable

  • @fd_unger
    @fd_unger 2 года назад +2

    Who'd have also just ran away into the infinite unknown?

    • @williamkinsey4979
      @williamkinsey4979 2 года назад

      I think what awaited you at the end was not good
      And she,d hate herself for giving up a situation in which she was ,at least ,alive

  • @jkyoft78
    @jkyoft78 2 года назад +4

    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.

  • @clockztickin
    @clockztickin 2 года назад +2

    All the sacrifice means nothing to those who have everything

  • @dawickedpissah9071
    @dawickedpissah9071 2 года назад +1

    Definitely the stuff of nightmares

  • @jillmigicovsky7834
    @jillmigicovsky7834 2 года назад +3

    Erin Li is such a fantastic director! I love Kepler X-47 and all her other fabulous work!

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад

      ❤️🙏🤓

  • @sweetvegan74
    @sweetvegan74 2 года назад +16

    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.

    • @PropagandaFacts
      @PropagandaFacts 2 года назад +6

      yeah and that one cat said something about the light when they were takin im out

    • @sweetvegan74
      @sweetvegan74 2 года назад +7

      @@PropagandaFacts exactly, she just totally ignored that possibility of freedom. Chances were slim but hell, still a chance.

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад

      *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?

    • @sweetvegan74
      @sweetvegan74 2 года назад +2

      @@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.

    • @kingwillie206
      @kingwillie206 2 года назад

      @@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.

  • @rightlyso8507
    @rightlyso8507 Год назад +1

    Insidiously, and genteelly, horrific! Awesome.

  • @Bildgesmythe
    @Bildgesmythe 2 года назад +1

    It's wonderful to watch stories with new plots, good acting! If only movies and TV would invest in stories like this!

  • @mysmirandam.6618
    @mysmirandam.6618 2 года назад +1

    BRILLIANT!!!

  • @1antti
    @1antti 2 года назад +2

    Vivaldi rules!

  • @xw591
    @xw591 2 года назад +1

    This one was fantastic

  • @davidturner2113
    @davidturner2113 2 года назад +1

    Taken away to be specimens on another planet. Reminds me of one of the old Outer Limits shows.

  • @originsdecoded3508
    @originsdecoded3508 2 года назад +1

    This reminds me of the movie "The Signal".
    If you haven't watched it yet, please don't
    You will have an existential crisis.

  • @ahongo
    @ahongo 2 года назад +4

    Beautifully done Erin!! Amazing job!

  • @ssshhhjjj192
    @ssshhhjjj192 Год назад +1

    I really love this!

  • @JaMEFMEB
    @JaMEFMEB 2 года назад +1

    I definitely would've hiked on into the distance to check out that blinking light..

  • @grammybear4226
    @grammybear4226 2 года назад +1

    Big Panda Bear Hugs from a 68 yr old Grammy from Kirby, Texas, USA 🐼

  • @vca718
    @vca718 Год назад +1

    truly amazing and outstanding

  • @joeangelcruzlll818
    @joeangelcruzlll818 2 года назад +1

    No where's to go,Dang crazy 😦😧 Awesome..

  • @mk1st
    @mk1st 2 года назад +4

    Excellent short! Nice detail having the video screen show crumbling ice sheets as some misguided way to make a more "natural habitat".

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад +1

      Initially, I thought it was projected to convince the humans the atmosphere outside their zoo was hostile, ergo discouraging the idea of escape, until I saw the geese being projected, but I like your concept, as it fits in with them supplying her with two mannequins, imitating their view of what comprises a 'happy family.'
      I guess they'd have supplied a female mannequin, if she'd been gay, but would they have given her a baby mannequin, too?
      Just how my mind works, sorry. 😂

    • @zarasbazaar
      @zarasbazaar 2 года назад +1

      It's their misguided attempt at a human habitat. Makes you wonder how much we get wrong in zoo habitats.

    • @kimberlygolden7095
      @kimberlygolden7095 Год назад

      Good spot!

  • @Caroline.123
    @Caroline.123 2 года назад +3

    This was amazing I was enthralled from start to finish.

  • @jasonsadliberty1503
    @jasonsadliberty1503 2 года назад +1

    Orwell meets one flew over the cuckoo's nest, meets the matrix...love the sim glitches in the background....good little piece here‼️🏁🏁🏁🏆

    • @billyandrew
      @billyandrew 2 года назад

      Matrix?
      I don't see the connection.

    • @ErinLi
      @ErinLi 2 года назад

      You just made my day. I love all of those films!

  • @PaulDaveyJsy
    @PaulDaveyJsy 2 года назад +1

    Beautifull absolutly beautifull film , Nothing else to say.

  • @dnshet5998
    @dnshet5998 Год назад +1

    This made me realise how much I want to chew my food.

  • @njdevilsforlifewoohoo5533
    @njdevilsforlifewoohoo5533 2 года назад +2

    Strange but i like it.

  • @chrisf8097
    @chrisf8097 2 года назад +1

    Bravo!! 👏🏽

  • @elithunder
    @elithunder 2 года назад +2

    Wow, so thought provoking! Beautifully done, loved the cinematography!!

  • @anandaurora
    @anandaurora 2 года назад +3

    Excellent! Haunting.. I see a parallel to this theme already in the matrix we are living in already

  • @irix8357
    @irix8357 2 года назад +2

    I have been tinkering about similar idea from time to time, this short highlight the emotional portrait on the "human subject" . i love the blend of Barock style and grey colour of the enclosure that compliments and contradicts each other. Well done...

  • @LeenaStark
    @LeenaStark Год назад +1

    Oftentimes, the *Hell* one is familiar with --- is more preferable than an unknown *Paradise.*
    _"When you're going through Hell ---- just keep on walking!"_ ✌

  • @jeromewilliams8708
    @jeromewilliams8708 2 года назад +1

    Really enjoyed this movie