The Age of Commercialism

Absolutely brilliant

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

"Plurality" is an American English-language short film by Asian-American filmmaker Dennis A. Liu, his more known effort by two career works only. The more known name here is certainly writer Ryan Condal and if you look at his body of work you will find some pretty prestigious blockbuster projects, especially the stuff he did with Dwayne Johnson. But now lets take a loo at these 14 minutes here. I may say that I am possibly a bit biased as Sci-Fi never did too much for me, but I was positively surprised by the outcome here. It is a fast interesting futuristic little movie with a fairly decent plot at the core of it all. And the title is quite fitting too. You will know what I mean when you watch it. And I think you should. Acting's fine, script is decent too and I think Liu should return to making films as this one from five years ago is a success overall. I can see why it managed to get somewhat popular on Youtube, even if it is not one that stacked millions and millions of views. Go check it out. I'd maybe even watch a full feature based on this one and this means quite something in my very case. 90%, maybe more, of Sci-Fi short films are inferior.

Plurality is a very well done short, film. It presents an important message about the dangers of sacrificing freedom for security. This is a warning for all of us and it shows just how close we are to the point of no return, right here, right now, today.The central idea is not new, but sadly, no one seems to be paying attention and I have not seen much, if anything, in film that hits the nail right on the head in this manner. The closest things out there exaggerate with hypothetical, fanciful future technology which makes the clear and present danger we are facing less real. Plurality, is different. Although the film does appear to include a far-fetched technology which is revealed near the end, it is only used as a plot device for the characters to deliver the message about the very real danger of what is taking place right now, all around us, with our current technology.Plurality does not have great acting or dialog. Its futuristic "floating computer screen" special effects are well done but seem a bit overused - likely to show some flash within the short running time. This is not a polished work by any means, and it is not some "brilliant masterpiece," but for its budget and scope, it succeeds as an entertaining and thought provoking teaser film. By the end of this short, you will want to see more.It would be nice to see this made into a fully developed feature film, but please do not let it near Hollywood - they would turn it into some kind of anti-corporate bastardization of what it is intended to be.We need more people making films that encourage people to step back and think about the horrifying future we seem all too eager to embrace at the expense of our freedom. Freedom comes with a price consisting of responsibility, insecurity, inconvenience and even hardship and bloodshed. Some of us understand that and value freedom all the more for it. Unfortunately, most do not.

New York of the future has driven crime to an all-time low due to the introduction of a DNA-based network where any transaction, any interaction and any surface will log and track the DNA of that individual to start their car, enter their home, grant access to their workplace, buy a Coke, anything. However, something strange is happening – duplicates (or pluralities) of some people are start to show up in NYC. Under the guidance of the surveillance network of Director Pollard, Agent Jacob Foucault is out to hunt down the most recent example – journalist Anna Winston.As many a Hollywood blockbuster can testify, you can get away with a lot if you hit the ground running and don't let up – many a thriller is full of plot holes and nonsense but the viewer never really has time to sit and question them because the film is carrying them along at a great pace and not giving them time. Plurality is at its best when it plays this card and for the first half of the film it does it extremely well. The world of the DNA grid is introduced with great effects and pace, so much so you never really stop to think that actually, while our DNA is unique for individuals, it isn't something that is impossible to get and actually we shed it everywhere we go. This is a flaw in the logic but it doesn't matter because we are in this world so therefore it must work and we are moving fast. Although we have no idea what it means, suddenly we have a plurality and supercool agent Foucault is off and literally running in a chase sequence that is not quite Bourne levels but still works as such.It is when this is over that the film starts to wobble; the interview sequence requires a lot of dialogue and now suddenly the lack of a working bigger picture is a weakness and the lack of understanding of the "plurality" effect is also an issue. It is a shame because this section points to a bigger story to tell and I guess the hope is that someone with money would feel this way too and help make it happen, but the aims and methods of the time-travellers is not really introduced well. That said the film ends on another high – the new plurality and you know by the way it ends that the very next scene will be thrilling just like the opening ones. The delivery may ape Hollywood thrillers but it is effective and well done – it is a little limited perhaps but mostly when it is moving it is really good. In the performances it is the same – Nissani is great in the lead role, strong presence, cool delivery, but his dialogue not also so and his narration doesn't always work. Strelitz is more or less the same, best when moving, not so much when talking. Di Domenico's big gruff American director is a caricature but his delivery of his lines is part of the "thriller" delivery that works well. Plurality is a mixed bag; it has weaknesses in the plot and particularly in the dialogue, but yet when it is moving it is working above its level with good effects and motion which is engaging and thrilling. The second half is weaker for sure but it ends on a promise and if this was a start of a Minority Report thriller with Nissani's Foucault in the lead, I'd be watching it.