A few months back, I happened to meet an awesome gentleman by the name of Eli Sasich at a dinner at a family friends’ home. Upon our meeting, I was thrilled to have someone to geek-out with over dinner, chatting about everything from Star Wars to super heroes. The subject was brought up that Eli was the director of a short I was given last year called “HENRi“, and he had another short film out there called “ATROPA”.
Over the last month-and-a-half or so, “ATROPA” has been making the rounds across the internet, garnering praise and acclaim wherever it’s posted. Having finally had an opportunity to sit down and watch the 9-minute short, it’s not hard to see why.
Keep in mind that this is a proof-of-concept short, but it manages to hit some great sci-fi beats in it’s brief runtime. A detective is on the tail of the research ship ATROPA, which has gone missing. Upon boarding the ship and bringing the crew out of stasis, some inconsistencies are revealed about their timelines, and the film ends with a bizarre twist that left me wanting more.
The influences of great sci-fi films from the past are clear, and I’m really loving the interiors and exteriors of the ships they designed. Couple this with some fine acting from the small cast, an ominous score, and some impressive visual effects, and you have a short film that I would love to see at feature length. To say I’m intrigued about where this story goes would be an understatement.
As I noted, in the interest of full-disclosure, I met Eli a few month ago. So, if there is any concern that my praise for this short film may be a bit biased, I encourage you to watch it for yourself – I assure you it will be 9-minutes of your day well-spent.