In the future human cloning has become commonplace and a new social divide exists between the clones and the originals. The wealthy originals are gradually exiting Earth for a better future, with no room for clones – although one girl (4624) is racing to get a ticket on one of the rockets to leave.
Choose is an interesting film and it works well even before you consider that it was made as part of a 48 hour challenge where the whole project was started and finished within 48 hours. On these grounds the film is pretty impressive because it looks great, has good sound, high production values and is generally well made. The plot asks a lot of the viewer because more is hinted at than is actually able to be delivered in the short time available. It does have pace to it though as we join with 4624 on the run from something (we don't know what) before we jump back and see her dream off a way off Earth and making a deal with a shadowy man to make it happen. I didn't totally get the development with the original version and thought that could have been made clearer and as a result the ending wasn't as impacting as it could have been.
Abe leads the film well, convincing whether she is fleeing or standing aspiring to more; she is very watchable here and draws the viewer in. Ishida provides menace in a few seconds of time, which is all he needed to do really. As director Al White makes good use of his time and I liked that the shots on London streets managed to look very sharp and professional, even though they must have been real grab-and-move affairs. I still would have liked just a shade more on the plot and characters to draw me in more, however the look and pace of the short combines with the bigger picture well to make an engaging short even before you consider how quickly it was made.
