Short Film Review: Plurality
A Vivid Futuristic Tale of Doppelgangers
Plurality By Dennis Liu
To be honest I stumbled across this film on accident I had other shorts book marked on my “to be watched” list. Then this little film popped up. It’s a science fiction short film called Plurality by Dennis Liu.
The film, is very densely packed fourteen minute film, that invites the viewers to a futuristic society is controlled by this thing called the grid. In this society, social security numbers, bank accounts, place of birth and all other attributes is tied a person’s DNA, and with a single touch all this can be scanned. It can be used at a doorway to the house and will scan a hand print before welcoming a owner in. The car will start only for a owner with a touch. And a bank will automatically lock the robber inside during a robbery, but allow police to come in.
And because everything is connected to the grid. A single touch of a door, rail or vehicle can be tracked. The police department has also used this monitoring to effectively catch criminals. It brings down the crime. It’s a scifi police set up that mirrors Minority Report to some extent.
But there are these odd cases of identity thefts called plurality where one DNA trademarks are found in two spots at one time. One day the police catch and are forced to track down the two women who are sharing the identities. When in holding, it turns out, they both have the same DNA and may in fact also be the same person.
The good? This is a incredibly imaginative science fiction tale and I loved every moment of it. The budget was surprising high for a short film. The effects, though somewhat minimal, were impressive. The acting was fantastic making the viewer care about the characters. And air of mystery about what is happening and questioning what this world was really like, was great. It was also very well short. And the ending. Let’s just say the ending was great.
The bad? One complaint though the writing was excellent, there’s a element in the story that popped out of nowhere. It was not like twist but like the film maker assumed you knew about it before it was ever mentioned. In hind sight, it’s not too bad, because everything does come to close and is explained at the end. But for a first time viewer, you’ll feel like you missed a plot point somewhere.
Overall, this is true blue science fiction. It’s original. It’s smart. And most of all it makes you think. I recommend this film everyone.
4 flicks out of four
Overall Rating: A Vivid Futuristic Tale of Doppelgangers.
Other Fact About This FIlm
Director:Dennis Liu
Run Time: 14:14 minutes
Genre: Scifi/ Action/ Mystery
Where To Find It: Youtube:
