In a dystopian future where production and consumption of natural resources are rationed, Feller works for Solar Corp, an energy company that illegally moonlights. When he finds out that the authorities are onto him, a visit to his house by an investigator forces his back against the wall and Feller must make a choice to fight or flee.
“Charter” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Generally speaking, the short film exists to present a compact narrative with a beginning and an end. As such, the format can be an effective way to tell a quick compelling story that can act as a jumping-off point for potential filmmakers to move onto bigger productions. However, there is another less traveled route of storytelling in the short structure of presenting a single scene that is meant for a larger production. This method, undeniably, has its faults if it is unable to successfully catch the audience's attention and drag them into an implied greater narrative. Unfortunately, Asif Limbada and Alireza Shojaei's sci-fi short “Charter” succumbs to a majority of the major pitfalls when focusing heavily on a single sequence.
To give credit where due, the ideas and worldbuilding in “Charter” are commendable, speaking to the modern-day paranoia of limited/controlled resources. It is a well-presented dystopia that is only slightly removed from our own reality. In addition, the cinematography from Rajeevan Nithiyananthan and Asif Limbada has moments of flair that show talent behind the camera. Overall, the aesthetics of the production do an admirable job of hiding the limited budget afforded to the production.
However, for a production that essentially boils down to a single scene to tell the greater narrative the short becomes rather underwhelming –crushed under lofty ideas and a sense of imposed drama that is demanded not established. Consequently, there is a strong lack of empathy or sympathy towards Feller and his plight. The impression that the work is a small part of a greater project, undeniably, works against the script.
This lack of development carries into the performances, as it becomes difficult to cheer or feel worried about lead actor Alireza Shojaei despite his strong performance. Looking at the crew, there is ample cross-over in making the production come to fruition between script, cinematography, acting etc. This also may have played a factor in the end product; as polished as the film looks there are also rough moments where visuals and audio quality take a noticeable dip.
Overall, “Charter” fails to really make a convincing narrative and stumbles over itself on technical execution from time to time. Conversely, the core concept, if given that room to be something bigger, will hold some appeal for audiences and there are moments of clarity/skill that show the ability to grow. Regardless of faults, the film is worth checking out and the filmmakers have made the entire short available on the site's official page.
