Alephia 2053 (Jorj Abou Mhaya)

[Philip J. Fry]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Movie_post_of_Alephia_2053.jpe g

Full movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IFUBbti4us

wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alephia_2053)

[Philip J. Fry]

​My two-cents.

How does it look? It actually looks kinda nice. It has this noirish, animesque feel that works well and while there are clues that it is a low budget film (like the length, the lack of elaborate set pieces and a few instances where characters move that don't entirely feel naturalistic), it doesn't look cheap. The main characters look distinctive and there's a clear eye for detail depicting the city and it's crowds (I don't remember, for example, two extras looking a like).

What did I like? Solid world building (particularly for such a short film), even if it relies a little too much in dystopian tropes. While the characters are a bit cookie cutter, at least they don't feel like political caricatures (see Black is Beltza). It's quick, fast pace + the aforementioned dystopian tropes = enough tension to be entertaining, even, if I'm not it's target audience (kinda wish to know about how middle Eastern people would film about this movie). A few nice uses of silence (for example, there's a short moment where the film goes quiet right before someone hits a lamp post with a car which is effective).

What didn't I like? Too short and fast paced for it's own good: key character moments happen off-screen and feel like they come out of nowhere, characters don't have enough development.

Final thoughts: I honestly would like seeing Abou Mhaya or someone else remaking this movie with a higher budget. There are elements here and there that with better pacing, more character moments and more action could bring forward a more appealing thriller and perhaps a stronger political message for it's audience. Mild yay from me all things considered.