In Captivity: freedom versus slave comfort and security in a future dystopian hell
Michael Koerbel, “In Captivity” (2011) Superficially in the style of a “Truman Show” situation comedy, this short film is an amusing riff on what a future…
Science Fiction Films
Together Forever: maudlin romance tragedy becomes a tale of murderous greed and a revenge vendetta
Rebecca C Scott, “Together Forever” (2022) A well-made film, driven almost entirely by its characters’ dialogue, turns what could have been a maudlin romance tragedy into…
An appealing heroine stuck in an unoriginal plot in “Alita: Battle Angel”
Robert Rodriguez, “Alita: Battle Angel” (2019) Based on Japanese manga artist Yukito Kishiro’s cyberpunk “Battle Angel Alita” series, this film works as both an origin story…
Italian and Italian-language Films
The Recycling Man: a peep at a future police-state dystopia and its manipulation of vulnerable citizens
Carlo Ballauri, “The Recycling Man” (2020) A very surprising little short, “The Recycling Man” takes place in a future dystopian police state in which children are…
Afro Algorithms: a film on hidden biases in technologies shoots itself in the foot
Anatola Araba Pabst, “Afro Algorithms” (2022) Here comes a very well-made 3D animated short that urges viewers to consider carefully how technologies like Artificial Intelligence and…
The Guardian’s Tale: fairy-tale conventions upturned in clever sci-fi fantasy short
Gordy Higgins, Ryan Zujic, Christoffer Klungerbo, “The Guardian’s Tale” (2012) Told as a delightful fairy tale in the style of “Beauty and the Beast”, this animated…
A dip into the multiverse with “Parallel Man: Infinite Pursuit”
Jeffrey Morris, “Parallel Man: Infinite Pursuit” (2014) Based on a comic book series of the same name, the animated short “Parallel Man” takes place in a…
Streamline: an intriguing exploration of virtual simulation to heal and to deceive
Dan Marcus, “Streamline” (2014) Here is an intriguing if perhaps confusing short film about how a man, Max (Joel Reitsma), tries to repair his relationship with…
academy: a tale of a post-apocalyptic utopia practising and teaching a flawed code of ethics
Ian Salazar, “academy” (2020) In the not too distant future, when Western civilisation has collapsed and Western culture has regressed to the point where Christian fundamentalism…
The News-Benders: a troubling view of news media as propaganda outlets carrying out an agenda
Rudolph Cartier, “The News-Benders” (1968) Entertaining yet troubling and provocative, “The News-Benders” was one of nearly 300 episodes of a BBC television series “Thirty-Minute Theatre” that…