Identiteaze

From the brilliant mind of revolutionary artist Jessie Earl, Identiteaze is a stunning and captivating sci-fi short film. Set in a virtual reality limbo in a dystopic corporate controlled future, the film centers around two strangers with missing memories faced with an impossible decision and an unknown fate. An astounding cast, amazing writing and direction, and beautiful visuals highlight this exploration of identity, conformity, our place in the world, and what we owe to each other. Lovingly made by true fans of science fiction, the film features numerous nods to iconic works that aren't necessary for your enjoyment but that enhance the experience greatly if you are. The allegorical exploration of queer identities is heart wrenchingly potent, and relatable to anyone who's ever struggled to know who they are or what their place in the world should be. I cannot recommend this film enough. It is fully worth a membership to Nebula for this film alone!

First, I'm trying not to be parasocial here. I have followed Jessie Earle for a while and in general I like her content. So, you might want to keep that in mind.

I do like the idea of the movie. The themes are kind of in-your-face, but you have to do that in a short (even if this is pretty long for a short), where you don't have the length of a feature to explore these ideas. I'm boringly cis, but it's not hard to identify with what's going on.

The problem is that the dialogue is awkwardly cliched and I mean distractingly so. This is weird as Earle is a writer in her dayjob. The script definitely could have used another pass with just trying to say these things aloud. I mean, that is the place where you can do the cheapest work to improve the quality of the work as a whole in a small budget production such as this.

In the end, there is much to like here, but the dialogue does take away quite a bit.

As a trans woman i really enjoyed it and hope this gets picked up as a series. Everyone needs to support this and get it made into a series. Like it delves into identity and how we cant be told where we fit and I love Jessie gender for making this. I also Love John de lancie! He did the Q snap thing from star trek lol. My friend saw it too and loved it as well. I wish this project luck in getting more episodes made. This needs to become successful. Trans themed shows are something we need more of,m especially made by trans people. Trans rights are human rights and i hope to learn more about the story here and get to see so much more. I have so many questions!

There was maybe on interesting part but for the most part I think they were trying to be clever but everything just fell little short a nice first try for a writer I do hope they do well and continue I feel they could get stronger as they go.

Was nice to get Q (John de Lancie) in it, he is a very under rated actor and deserves a lot more credit, not quite on the voice lever as someone like Morgan Freeman but very recognizable when he is talking.

I would say it is not something I would go out of my way to watch again, but if you do come across it you would not be wasting your time to watch it.

Full disclosure I've been a fan of writer director Jesse Earl known on YouTube as Jesse Gender for at least a year by now. While I don't agree with everything she says I always find her analysis of current Star Wars shows and other similar stuff to be compelling. I would love for this to lead to a series as she has expressed a hope for though it does also tell a full story. This is deeply impressive and not just for a debut. It is primarily made for members of the LGBTQ+ community especially trans and non-binary folks and I really appreciate that it doesn't feel the need to bend over backwards to accommodate us cis-het allies. But don't fret, everyone can find something to relate to in the exploration of identity, of being forced to hide part of who you are.

The technical aspects are immaculate. Impressive acting and writing getting across the ideas. No, the metaphor and allegory are not subtle but I think given how bad things have gotten with legislation(the bathroom bills etc.), we've gotten to the point where just being direct is the best approach. The editing captures the liminal space, the cinematography uses careful framing to underline, in a style somewhat reminiscent of Kubrick, the sterile, alienating set design which takes some inspiration from the masterpiece Cube. There's also some Matrix going on - it's no secret that the Wachowskis did an amazing job exploring what it's like being trapped in a system that hates you, in part for your individuality, and this takes that to a new level without ever feeling like a lazy rehash.

This is thankfully not as winky and frankly kind of gatekeepy as the Channel Awesome anniversary movies - rather, it is what it looks like when *talented* nerds(a term I use affectionately, as I myself am one) are able to make a piece of fiction that they're passionate about. This manages to put every cent of its budget on screen, similar to for example the pilot for Lost and unlike the one for Star Trek Enterprise. The special effects are great and it makes the wise indie decision to not try to depict something it can't do well. It features solid criticism of systems, corporations, the metaverse and binary choice. 8/10.