Sci-Fi: Crimes Of The Future

In Crimes of the Future pain is mostly a thing of the past because of implied evolution. And some people are now able to grow extra organs. But others have evolved further, now being able to eat and digest plastics along with other undigestable materials. Something which the government wants to suppress. Featuring such intriguing concepts as theatrical live organ transplants, human bodily evolution to adapt to a decaying world and surgery being so commonplace it is considered “the new sex”, David Cronenberg’s return to body horror encourages much discussion thanks to the many thought-provoking ideas that populate this fascinating world.

Comedy Action: Everything Everywhere All At Once

When the year started everyone wanted to see how Doctor Strange’s sequel would showcase the creative possibilities of the multiverse. But Everything Everywhere All At Once managed to capture viewer adoration more. And it used the multiverse concept as an excuse to showcase a number of creative and hilarious ideas. Including using technology to access skills possessed by different versions of oneself in the multiverse, showcasing a diverse array of parallel worlds that feature such great ideas as humans having sausages for fingers, humans being controlled by raccoons, and the main characters becoming rocks and an apocalyptic doomsday device made from a snack. All of which was accomplished on a $25 million budget. 8 times less than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Showing that the multiverse has such big creative potential even smaller productions can use it to showcase fantastic ideas.

Thriller: Fall

Movies primarily based around one location are nothing new. Fall however bases its central plot around two friends scaling up and then trying to get down from a 2000-foot-high TV tower. This conceit not only provides a thrilling setting for most of its action but allows for a constantly high amount of tension to be present even during mundane scenes. This is thanks to the high winds at such heights and the small surface area not providing many opportunities for respite. Plus being up so high provides great explanations for common problems viewers have with many of these thrillers. Such as why don’t the protagonists just call for help? High-altitude thrillers are always a guaranteed source of tension. And the conceit to set one atop such a thin, high structure paid off.

Horror: Hatching

Hatching concerns a child facing incredible pressure from her mother. She subsequently takes care of an egg which eventually hatches into a monstrous creature. It then begins taking on more of the girl’s likeness and violently acting out. Hatching’s central idea is a perfect allegory for how abusive parental pressure negatively impacts and shapes children. The creature acts as a great metaphor for the child’s mental health. Demonstrating once again that horror is a perfect genre for using creative ideas to address bigger issues.

Action: Prey

How do you revive interest in the predator franchise when only the first one is universally considered a good film? You go back to the series’ roots, having the predator attack a group of people in a sparsely populated area while offering something new by setting the film in the 1700s. The era of colonial expansion. This conceit of placing the technologically futuristic predator during this era instantly stacks the odds against our main characters and provokes discussion of colonialism and power. Additionally, the film gives us diverse, fully-rounded indigenous protagonists, and centralizes their voices in depictions of their cultural history. Instead of having them act in service of someone else’s story.

These were just a small sampling of creative ideas that we got to see this year. So please make sure to let us know any creative movies you particularly gravitated towards. And let’s hope 2023 continues to provide us with more genius film ideas.

Also Read: The Impact: How Dozens of Filmmakers Around The World Crowd-Created A Film About The Apocalypse

The post 5 Films In 2022 With Creative Concepts appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Big Picture Film Club is back! Pushed To The Edge is a collection of six independent short films, ranging from dark comedy to psycho-drama, all detailing the lives of people in extraordinary situations pushed to their limit. Here’s a list of the films we will be screening:

* 1500 Words (Dir. Andrew Chaplin): 1500 Words is the dark and comedic tale of one man’s struggle to keep his relationship, and himself alive whilst using his final one thousand five hundred words. When everyman Stanley Franks goes to his doctor to receive his test results, he’s told the brutal and surprising news of how long he has left to live. Shell-shocked and overwhelmed Stanley has to work out pretty quickly how to adapt to life with his new restrictive affliction. Life will never be the same again… or will it?

* Lifeline (Dir. Sam Jones): Lifeline is a BFI funded short film, from the 17-year-old director, Sam Jones, which follows a mother in a desperate mother risking everything to provide a final lifeline for her son. In raising the stakes, by putting lives on the line, Beth’s selflessness and need to care for her son is truly challenged whilst trying to protect her son.

* Listen To Me (Dir. Rob Ayling): This intense drama follows a young musicologist, who suspects her next door neighbour is in an abusive relationship. Listen To Me recently screened at the BAFTA recognised London Short Film Festival in January and Bristol Film Festival in March.

* Pedigree (Dir. Ani Laurie): In the city of London, Alex Powell is a successful 30-something banker running away from his past. When an injured young woman arrives at his front door his world spirals out of control.

* An Arms Length (Dir. Max Weiland): Leonard (Jamie Goldberg) is trapped between his yearning for freedom and his deep tie to his mother (Alexis Zegerman).  An Arm’s Length is a dark and unsettling British comedy about a Jewish mother’s relationship with her son. Steeped in the traditions of Jewish humour and folklore the surreal finale becomes a metaphor for the cliché of the castrating mother.

* Prey (Dir. Sunny King): A young woman, after a night out, is stalked by a psychopath in a car park. Prey is an Alfred Hitchcock-inspired film filled with suspense and horror. The film features Africa and Britain’s brightest stars Weruche Opia, OC Ukeje, Steve Mace, Yvonne Hays and Azizat Saadiq. Prey is directed and executive produced by Sunny King.

Tickets: https://pushedtotheedge.eventbrite.co.uk

The post Big Picture Film Club Presents: Pushed To The Edge appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.