(courtesy IMDb (c) Kojan Film)
SNAPSHOT
After a long search in a strange galaxy, a lone rescue robot locates a surviving astronaut, but must reach her before she’s consumed by a looming black hole. A live-action space adventure created entirely with practical effects using a water tank, a real robot and miniature models. Six years in the making, [Lost in the Sky] is Simon Öster’s directorial debut. Winner of Méliès d’argent for Best European Fantastic Short Film 2023.(courtesy YouTube)
The beauty of this perfectly judged short sci-fi film is how how much emotion it packs it into relatively short running time.
Throughout the edge-of-your-seat narrative, where nothing is certain and the astronaut may not yet be saved, we see so much emotive intensity writ large on the faces of the human being in need of imminent rescue and the robot whose movements convey the urgency with which it is working.
Its actions may be nothing more than the result of stellar programming but even so, there’s something quite moving about how feverishly it works and how dejected it seems when it’s tactics don’t yield the required result.
All throughout Lost in the Sky, the story beautifully balances action and emotion to immensely impactful effect, resulting in a story that lingers well after you’ve watched it, a result that augurs well for the future of first-time director Simon Öster’s future creative endeavours.