I love films that upend expectations. Images promoting 'The landing,' the basic premise, and early scenes convey a definite sense of the story this short is telling. And then it totally obliterates that confidence we held.
Sci-fi as a genre is prone to telling stories about visiting aliens, artificial intelligence, or technology run amok - and that's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. Yet so many narratives are bent toward simple "kill or be killed" conflict, and it's a breath of fresh air to come across those relative few that defy that trend. Moreover, with so much focus on "the other," it's rare that anyone stops to think about the effect that our alarm, paranoia, and other heightened emotions ultimately have on us.
I'm so pleased, then, that this is the space 'The landing' plays in. And it's so very well done.
This is a story about an unidentified (and technically flying) object landing on a Midwestern farm, yes. But much more than that, it's a story about what fear does to us, the effect on us and our loved ones of the war we conjure in our minds, and living with the consequences of that mindset. The emotional punch to this sci-fi short isn't thrilling - it's devastating.
I dare not say more for fear of betraying spoilers, but kudos to all involved for a wonderful, unique sci-fi short. This especially goes for writer-director Josh Tanner, and writer-producer Jade van der Lei, for conceiving the fine story to begin with.
I had mixed expectations to begin, but they were certainly exceeded: 'The landing' is well worth 18 minutes of your time.
