THE SILENT PLANET and PÁRVULOS [Fantasia International Film Festival]

[L-R] Elias Koteas as THEODORE, Brianna Middleton as NIYYA in THE SILENT PLANET

THE SILENT PLANET, directed by Jeffrey St. Jules

In this live action film that starts similar to WALL-E, a miner named Theodore (Elias Koteas) lives and works on penal colony #384, sentenced to find and export minerals to Earth for the rest of his mortal days. By nature, he lives alone, haunted by thoughts of the woman he loves. His decision to remove his life meter triggers the powers that be to send another worker to take his place, and the younger, more jaded, Niyya arrives (Briana Middleton).

Sharing a planet only meant for one person triggers the human instinct to mistrust others, and Theodore and Niyya start a silent war of attrition, albeit manifesting in different ways. Theodore extends invitations of friendship and dinner with selfish motives, while Niyya claims to want to be left alone to her thoughts, while also snooping into Theodore's past. Like all survivors throughout history, their natural impulse to both come together for warmth and stay far away for self-protection clash in a mental winner-takes-all showdown.

Brianna Middleton as NIYYA in THE SILENT PLANET

 
Like the movie BIOSPHERE last year, THE SILENT PLANET is a character-driven science fiction twofer with fascinating characters, well-crafted dialogue, and thought-provoking themes. Director Jeffrey St. Jules manages to build a compelling story with simple building blocks, putting characters into a believable scenario and allowing their stories to play out convincingly. Personal baggage causes both Niyya and Theodore to fear allowing anyone into their bubbles, creating the right environment for resentments to fester.

St. Jules grounds the film's simple-seeming setup with natural acting. The things that Theodore and Niyya do in their intergalactic prison are so relatable. They watch sitcoms, feel frustrated at their AI companions, and have grumpy conversations. And the story includes just enough subtle misdirection to keep things interesting, while resisting the urge to weigh down the proceedings with heavy-handed exposition. Not everything is revealed or resolved, but therein lies the beauty. Speaking of beauty, cinematographer Paul Sarossy and production designer Andrew Berry curate and light awe-inspiring barren vistas. Shot on location in Newfoundland, penal colony #384 join a long line of science fiction settings that encourage viewers to consider the vastness of the universe with a single shot.

Elias Koteas as THEODORE in THE SILENT PLANET

 
THE SILENT PLANET manages to pack the themes of immigration and xenophobia of bigger budget films like DISTRICT 9 into the packaging of a Mark Duplass film. Although a deeply human tale, story elements like invasive alien gas keeps things firmly in the science fiction genre. Jeffrey St. Jules certainly has my attention.

Screening in its World Premiere during the Fantasia Film Fest 2024 in the Septentrion Shadows section. See film details page for more information. 

Release info: Unknown currently

Final score: 3.5 out of 5

[L-R] Farid Escalante Correa as SALVADOR, Mateo Ortega Casillas as BENJAMIN, Leonardo Cervantes as OLIVER in PARVULOS

PÁRVULOS, directed by Isaac Ezban, co-written by Ezban and Ricardo Aguado-Fentanes [Spanish language]

By far the standout film for me of this year's Fantasia Fest, Isaac Ezban crafts a unique coming of age tale of zombies, family, and hope against all odds. A longtime fan of Twilight Zone-esque weird science fiction, Ezban shifts wheelhouses slightly to emulate the monster movies of old.

A pandemic has ravaged the souls of the world, turning people into zombies at first bite. Three brothers survive in a lavish, abandoned home that their parents helped them turn into a safe house: Salvador (Farid Escalante Correa), Oliver (Leonardo Cervantes), and Benjamin (Mateo Ortega Casillas). Salvador has become tough-as-nails, a brother forced to become a parent before his time. And then there's the two infected creatures in the basement that subsist with the few pieces of animal flesh the brothers can spare.

[L-R] Farid Escalante Correa as SALVADOR, Leonardo Cervantes as OLIVER, Mateo Ortega Casillas as BENJAMIN in PARVULOS

 
Ezban fashions the world of PÁRVULOS with a precarious cocktail of tones and tropes. The brothers survive on scraps and hope to gain access to a vaccine that will protect them from infection. They must find and protect resources, sometimes stealing or committing violence to do so. Blood and guts flow freely throughout the film. And yet, these are kids. Salvador understands more of the world than his younger brothers and carries that responsibility like a heavy weight, but Olive and Benjamin maintain childlike purity. The story is gruesome, scary, and terrifying, and yet, there's also humor, hope, and sweetness to be found. The mixture works only because you deeply grow to care for these brothers. In the landscape of horror, it's good to remember that even in the bleakest of times, love of family remains and is stronger than death.

These kids survive but not in the sleek way of WALKING DEAD characters. They carry weapons forged from found materials and operate them clumsily. They make protective gear from baskets and cushions attached by duct tape. This keeps the world in the child's point of view, as if Peter Pan's the Lost Boys encountered zombies instead of pirates. The musical score by Edy Lan and Camilla Uboldi does some lifting here, too, with its often acapella score of creepy and somber children's voices.

Leonardo Cervantes as OLIVER, Mateo Ortega Casillas as BENJAMIN in PARVULOS

 
The monotone cinematography with muted pops of color offers a visual treat, reminiscent of the style of ROMA or EL CONDE. Cinematographer Rodrigo Sandoval Vega Gil peppers the film with use of a fisheye lens, which disorients the viewer during times of stress. The scares that come are truly pulse-pounding, managing to seem even more terrifying by staying in a child's perspective throughout.

PÁRVULOS joins ranks with other Latin American films that have come out in the last few years, like WHEN EVIL LURKS (Demian Rugna) or PIGGY (Carlota Martinez-Pereda) – films that don't shy away from putting kids or animals in harm's way. Not that I'm advocating for more of that to happen, but these movies take chances that American directors often avoid, resulting in horror that can seem derivative or safe. By nature, horror needs to shock, scare, or disturb, removing safety guards. When directors like Ezban take chances, the genre stays alive.

Screening in its World Premiere at Fantasia Fest 2024 in the Cheval Noir section. See film details page for more information. 

Release info: Distributed by Red Elephant Films

Final score: 4 out of 5

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