Film Review: Remote (short film) (2010)

SYNOPSIS:

Temporarily connected in time, a man tries to prevent the murder of a young woman, living in his house 30 years in the past.

REVIEW:

Let’s not beat around the bush with this – I was really impressed when I watched this short film. And apparently, others were too as Remote won 41 Official Film Festival Selections across the globe and 11 ‘Winner’ Awards. It was in fact so good, that a feature length version is in the process of being made so as to further expand the story. Bring it on, I say.

Remote features a man trapped in his house due to a storm. He flips through his papers – presumably leftover work which he’s taken home with him – when, all of a sudden, his television switches on. There is a woman on the screen who can see him too and the two exchange a few confused pleasantries. In a fashion which echoes back to romance-movie-with-a-twist, The Lakehouse (starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves), it turns out that they are in fact in the same house, but just a different time zone (1978 vs. 2008). Once the initial shock has passed, they begin to find out more about each other, which leads to some disturbing revelations. Things take a turn for the weirder at this point, but it would be a shame to write down anymore here as it would not give the film justice. All I’ll say is that the film is utterly gripping from start to finish!

The best thing about Remote is the subtle psychological aspect of the film – the emotions that play on the audiences mind and makes them think about what they’re watching. Time travel is not a theme which is explored too often within the horror genre (the closest I can think of is the premonitions which happen in Final Destination, but this is a very tenuous connection) and so it was very refreshing to see director Marc Roussel attempt to create something with a little more depth to it. According to an interview with Marc Roussel himself, he wanted to create a psychological horror film set in an apartment along the same lines as Roman Polanski’s trilogy: Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby and The Tenent.

So if you have a spare twenty minutes – and even if you don’t – definitely give Remote a watch, as it proves as a reminder that short films can be effective and well made! It proves that they can stir feelings within that even some feature lengths can’t and they certainly can address complex issues with sophistication and grace. Remote is a great example of film at its finest. It certainly got a round of applause from me.

Remote (short film) (2010)