Omeleto | SUNLESS | Omeleto @Omeleto | Uploaded February 2024 | Updated October 2024, 18 hours ago.
Two men are trapped in a submarine.
SUNLESS is used with permission from Boris Vesselinov. Learn more at https://borisvfilms.com.
Arthur and James are in a submarine, going deeper into the darkest depths of the ocean. They're trying to set a submersible dive record, and their aim is "to go deeper than Everest," as James says. As their sub steadily reaches the goal, the men become excited.
But when they fall just short of their goal, they notice some warning signs that all is not well. They face a decision: whether or not to keep going for the record, or head back up into safer territory and try another time -- even if the Russians are going to attempt the record the next day. Arthur and James grapple with the decision, weighing their desire to test the limits and win glory against reason and survival.
Directed and written by Boris Vesselinov, this short drama will remind many viewers of the real-life story of the Titan submersible, whose tragic fate riveted the world in 2023. Though the short was made before that event, it evokes what fascinated many: dread, fear and a quietly penetrating study into the psychology of risk, ego and hubris. The excellent storytelling takes advantage of the compressed situation and setting to build up a constant pressure, one that keeps viewers watching as the two men weigh a fateful decision and its consequences.
The film opens with a dark wide shot of the cold, dark depths of the ocean as the submarine drops into frame, sounding a sonar ping as it descends. But for the most part, the film is visually cramped, dominated by closeups and reflecting the close quarters of the sub, which turn increasingly claustrophobic as small warning signs pile up. The film's superb use of sound works like a horror film, inviting both the characters and the men to imagine what's happening as the sub crackles, creaks and rattles as it struggles under the water's pressure.
When the sub stops just short of their goal, the men have a choice: to keep going to set the record, or go back up. The conflict isn't just between them and the elements, but between themselves. Actors Ben Holtzmuller and Erik Schilley, who play Arthur and James, respectively, never overplay the emotions, keeping their performances restrained and precise -- which only makes their acceptance of conditions at the end all the more compelling.
Intelligently crafted, disciplined in its storytelling and quietly engrossing, SUNLESS is, in many ways, a minimalist film, with only the most essential dialogue, a tight and constrained visual language and a concise, lean narrative that never veers into melodrama. Yet even with this set of pared-down storytelling elements, it proves memorable and even chilling, as two men face their doom, left with only one another and the realization that while they may have achieved what they set out to, it will ultimately cost them.
Two men are trapped in a submarine.
SUNLESS is used with permission from Boris Vesselinov. Learn more at https://borisvfilms.com.
Arthur and James are in a submarine, going deeper into the darkest depths of the ocean. They're trying to set a submersible dive record, and their aim is "to go deeper than Everest," as James says. As their sub steadily reaches the goal, the men become excited.
But when they fall just short of their goal, they notice some warning signs that all is not well. They face a decision: whether or not to keep going for the record, or head back up into safer territory and try another time -- even if the Russians are going to attempt the record the next day. Arthur and James grapple with the decision, weighing their desire to test the limits and win glory against reason and survival.
Directed and written by Boris Vesselinov, this short drama will remind many viewers of the real-life story of the Titan submersible, whose tragic fate riveted the world in 2023. Though the short was made before that event, it evokes what fascinated many: dread, fear and a quietly penetrating study into the psychology of risk, ego and hubris. The excellent storytelling takes advantage of the compressed situation and setting to build up a constant pressure, one that keeps viewers watching as the two men weigh a fateful decision and its consequences.
The film opens with a dark wide shot of the cold, dark depths of the ocean as the submarine drops into frame, sounding a sonar ping as it descends. But for the most part, the film is visually cramped, dominated by closeups and reflecting the close quarters of the sub, which turn increasingly claustrophobic as small warning signs pile up. The film's superb use of sound works like a horror film, inviting both the characters and the men to imagine what's happening as the sub crackles, creaks and rattles as it struggles under the water's pressure.
When the sub stops just short of their goal, the men have a choice: to keep going to set the record, or go back up. The conflict isn't just between them and the elements, but between themselves. Actors Ben Holtzmuller and Erik Schilley, who play Arthur and James, respectively, never overplay the emotions, keeping their performances restrained and precise -- which only makes their acceptance of conditions at the end all the more compelling.
Intelligently crafted, disciplined in its storytelling and quietly engrossing, SUNLESS is, in many ways, a minimalist film, with only the most essential dialogue, a tight and constrained visual language and a concise, lean narrative that never veers into melodrama. Yet even with this set of pared-down storytelling elements, it proves memorable and even chilling, as two men face their doom, left with only one another and the realization that while they may have achieved what they set out to, it will ultimately cost them.
