Resonance by William Stancik
CAT INDEX
CAT INDEX OVERVIEW
SCREENPLAY
MAKING
ACTING
Directed by William Stancik/ Reviewed by Adva Reichman
Think of moths, aliens, fruit pies and one man who is willing to risk it all in order to find answers, and you get ‘Resonance’. ‘Resonance’ is a hilarious sci fi short created by filmmakers who enjoy exploring comedic yet out of this world scenarios while using unorthodox characters. We meet Ulysses and Howard as they’re having a random conversation about different subjects varying from warm soda to moths. What seems like a meaningless chit chat at first will slowly turn into important clues that will pay off as the story unravels.
Throughout the conversation Ulysses holds a rifle and we’re left wondering if he’s expecting something bad to happen or if it just part of his persona. As the two speak about a moth man, who they speculate speaks only French and can eat people, we start seeing the gruesome moth and wonder if Ulysses’ rifle is meant for protection. Meanwhile, a young investigator is searching for a mystery man, whose presence he recognizes by electric waves others are not able to detect. Each time our investigator finds the mystery man’s location, he quickly sets off after him but arrives a moment too late, and his guy is gone. This time he flew to Brazil and now finds himself dangerously drawn to a cliff. As the investigator fears for his life, the mystery man appears and tells him to jump. Saying “they” will catch him.
The investigator and his mystery man speak. The enigma is finally explained, as does the identity of the “they” the mystery man speaks of. However, the new information the investigator finds might just make him want to jump off that cliff after all... You’ll have to watch to find that out. This is not the first film this group of filmmakers have created together, and it shows. Their on- screen chemistry shines, and it is pretty obvious they feel comfortable with each other while being able to complement each other’s acting. More than anything, I can imagine the fun and laughs they must share on set as their talents come across in their unique films. Having said that, the dialogues could use some more work in order for the story to find its way, and allow the viewer to make better sense of it. The characters could have benefited from further development and clarity. The film rests heavily on the use of green screen which allows the filmmakers to have some fun and explore their options in supposed far away locations. However, sense it is very clear the backgrounds aren’t real, and the green screen quality isn’t at its best, the use of other locations could help sell the plot. And finally, better sound recording will also better serve the film as the echo and noise were too apparent throughout.
The filmmakers’ imagination and creativity is amusing and makes the film very fun to watch. They have a great sense of humor and you can tell they enjoy telling stories. So, if you’re looking for a good laugh, a fun mystery and an intriguing plot, ‘Resonance’ is Definitely your answer.
