The Leap

I stumbled over this one on the DUST Youtube channel.

I relly enjoyed it! Shame that DUST did not in any way mention who was behind this short, but luckily I found it here!

Keep up the good work!

Great movie too short but ok .. I liked the movie so much... a good movie everyone can enjoy....

In terms of stuff that you find on the DUST YouTube channel, it's outstanding. But that doesn't change the fact that it's only possibly directed, full of people chewing the scenery, and clearly the product of someone with too much production budget and not enough directorial ability. Various issues:

• There are 3 time jumps
• the film begins with an over long beginning sequence that acts as a prologue, but could've been a much better served later in the film as a flashback or even cut
• We hear -- not in graphic detail, but in far more detail than any reasonable director would include -- a woman doing her business. In the bathroom. We see her on the toilet. I do not need to hear someone tinkle.

The film is the better of the bunch in terms of science fiction on YouTube. But it still suffers from overwroughtness; the product of people who don't know any better thinking they've made some genius script. It's not an essential piece of work.

A short (30min) sci-fi film doesn't give much time for plot or character development but fundamentally it is like a great short story. The acting is fine and the characters interesting. Basically draws up some questions about the feelings of a border force policeman who is about to retire - guilt, value of his life etc. There is a 'new earth' that many hope to go to (and he hopes to retire to) where everything is expected to be great, but meanwhile people are struggling to survive on the original earth in a post industrial setting. Obviously nobody likes this border force because they kill lots of people hoping to make it to new earth.

Effects are excellent, especially considering it is only a 30 min film. Could easily be made into a full length film, and would probably be better in that format, allowing greater character development, especially between the two main protagonists. However, there aren't really loose ends, everything ties well together, and although there is a 'twist' it is pretty predictable, though doesn't take away from the general sentiment of the story: even in a rough world people aren't all bad.

P.S. there is some blood and guns, so for an adult audience, but it is not gratuitous (I hate overly violent films, and this isn't one)

'The leap' wastes no time informing us exactly what it is about, narratively and thematically. The opening title card speaks to blunt commentary on the inhumane horror of immigration enforcement before an immediate, violent depiction of that "rule of law."

The short further imparts the glaring cognitive dissonance that law enforcement officers maintain to pretend they're ordinary good people while continuing to actively kill and oppress. Only by stepping back from the beliefs of such strict codes can one actually find moral clarity, and 'The leap' ensures we get that message, too.

For as little as they are given to work with in these 28 minutes, stars Simon Merrells and Alix Wilton Regan nonetheless perform admirably, making their characters feel believably real and human. Jacob's (Merrells) characterization, as an immigration officer, perhaps confers upon him a greater conscience than matches contemporary reality, while Jade (Regan) is barely even second fiddle. Yet the actors do what they can with what is written, and to that end, I commend them.

Maybe it's not fair to point out this short specifically, but nonetheless, it shares a fault all too common to the sci-fi genre. Women in the future are rarely depicted as anything other than a sex worker, a damsel in distress, or both, especially when they are written by men. Writer-director Karel van Bellingen sadly shares that lack of imagination. The reliance on these tropes is at best tiresome; can no one do better?

Still, while imperfect, 'The leap' is sufficiently entertaining. Consumer technology on display in the film is believable, and in some ways doesn't seem far off from where we are in 2021. Broader depictions of the fictional future, including the 2084 skyline of London and exterior shots of a space-faring vessel, look pretty good to these eyes. And for as quick as the picture runs, it's duly thrilling in the story it tells.

It could have benefited from a bit more imagination, but that's an issue one can claim for many a tale of any genre - and if that's the greatest criticism I can actively make, then I suppose we're in reasonably good hands. 'The leap' isn't bad; not at all. It effectively tells a capably engaging story, and is very plainspoken about its core messages.

Worth 30 minutes of your time? Sure, why not.