Film review of Dystopia for the magazine

Dystopia is the newest short film installment from Escapade Productions. Obviously influenced from films such as The Road and I Am Legend, Directors Tom Appleton and Sean Bates have really captured the essence of isolation in this film. The film follows an unnamed protagonist as he searches for food and safety after losing his companions in a car accident in a dystopian world. This film manages to reach completion with no outspoken dialogue, instead the use of a very solemn voice over. In effect, this works as a narrative, but it certainly does not make the film as exciting as it could be.

Dystopia has been saturated with a dark, lomography style, vintage filter. This adds an amazing atmosphere which would not be there otherwise on what appears to be a sunny day. Atmosphere is crucial in a film like this, where the main focus is the emotion the character is feeling, rather than the strong narrative.

Despite being a fairly uneventful film, it has received great feedback. It seems its popularity is due to how it is shot, and constructed. With known inspiration from directors such as Francis Lawrence and Wes Anderson, Dystopia is very easy on the eyes.

Nevertheless, the idea that it is a post-apocalyptic film is not brought to the audience’s attention nearly enough. This should have been one of the main focuses of the film. Clips of streets littered with bodies, of people fleeing the cities could have been added to show the viewers the severity of the disease. However, this is a short, five minute, low budget film, so perhaps that could be excused.

There were some parts of this short film I enjoyed more than others. The shot where the protagonist looks for his glasses and his vision appears blurred, but as he puts his glasses on it looks right again, was a fantastic idea. It shows the audience that although he was able to escape the car crash and survive in a forest for a few days, he is still human and still has disabilities, in this care, poor vision. Equally, the ending shot used for the credits is gorgeous. The characters perfectly centered walk down the center of the path, inspired from Wes Anderson’s style and use of symmetry. 

Overall, I did enjoy this film. I love the concept behind it, and the ideas the two directors share. However, the way they were conveyed in this short film were a little disappointing. A worthwhile watch for short film fans, but would be of no interest to an average blockbuster film fanatic.

Overall, I feel my review is fair. It covers both the positive and negative aspects of the film, and is in no way biased.