Under the lens takes a deep look at films by focusing in on one or two particular areas of the picture that helped to define it for better or for worse.
In Extremis is a 2021 post-apocalyptic short film written and directed by Dan Marcus. Produced by Paul Odrobina, Judy Febles, & Dan Marcus and stars Alejandra Cruz, Will Skrip, Zoe Baker, Kaleb Alexander Roberts, Leticia Perez, Joelian Sanchez, and Taryn Marler. The story follows A father and daughter who are forced to traverse a hellish landscape at different parts of their lives, a landscape of a world that has turned on them.
UNDER THE LENS: SELFISHNESS/SELFLESSNESS AND OLD WORLD vs NEW
Selfishness While watching this picture, I found myself thinking about the idea of selfishness vs selflessness, at the start of the story we see the father and daughter wandering the wasteland. We heard the father’s thoughts and see him take care of his daughter, however, his thoughts and actions turn increasingly dark and twisted as time goes on. What struck me was his line “I can’t watch her starve” it is about him and less about her, it’s about making his life easier and eliminating the pain he is feeling. Whereas when we see his daughter years later, she runs across a young child, the dark thoughts of her father creep in, only for her to make a choice to help the child not hurt them. She is putting the child’s needs above her own, she is choosing selflessness over selfishness and bringing hope into the world again.
Old World vs New: I was struck by the dual images of the landscapes and the characters, and how they in effect represented the old world fading away and the new world coming into focus. We hear at the beginning that the earth turned on humanity, and society fell apart. The father is almost a representation of the old world, a violent world without mercy, one that does not see beyond the immediate circumstances, we see him wandering around a desolate landscape of death and trash, with a skull painted over his face at one point. Whereas his daughter is framed by a lush world of trees, water, and food, when she meets the child, she begins to have dark thoughts about killing him, representing the old world that still clings to us when we don’t learn the lessons of the past. However, she chooses mercy and to look ahead, ignoring the voice of the past and pressing forward to a brighter future.
HIGHLIGHTS
The short film has some nice effect work at the start showing the decaying world.
The camera work is superb and told a story as strong as the narrative itself.
All the actors turned in good performances.
QUOTABLE QUOTE
The Father: This world turned on us, we lost our food, our voices…
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Do you find yourself stuck reaping mistakes from the past instead of moving forward? What do you think is the best way to leave the past behind for a brighter future?
CONCLUSION
In Extremis is a well-shot and tense post-apocalyptic thriller, with gorgeous scenery, good acting, and professional camera work. It has a timely message of moving on from the past and learning from what you have gone through. Dan Marcus employs a “show it, without showing it” method which I rather liked! How the daughter escapes her father is left to the viewer’s imagination as is the knife fight the daughter engages in later. I enjoyed the professional filmmaking and the wonderful scenery of the forest. My only complaint is I wish the film was longer, as I enjoyed my time in the world. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic thrillers this short film may be for you!
