Identiteaze

There was maybe on interesting part but for the most part I think they were trying to be clever but everything just fell little short a nice first try for a writer I do hope they do well and continue I feel they could get stronger as they go.

Was nice to get Q (John de Lancie) in it, he is a very under rated actor and deserves a lot more credit, not quite on the voice lever as someone like Morgan Freeman but very recognizable when he is talking.

I would say it is not something I would go out of my way to watch again, but if you do come across it you would not be wasting your time to watch it.

First, I'm trying not to be parasocial here. I have followed Jessie Earle for a while and in general I like her content. So, you might want to keep that in mind.

I do like the idea of the movie. The themes are kind of in-your-face, but you have to do that in a short (even if this is pretty long for a short), where you don't have the length of a feature to explore these ideas. I'm boringly cis, but it's not hard to identify with what's going on.

The problem is that the dialogue is awkwardly cliched and I mean distractingly so. This is weird as Earle is a writer in her dayjob. The script definitely could have used another pass with just trying to say these things aloud. I mean, that is the place where you can do the cheapest work to improve the quality of the work as a whole in a small budget production such as this.

In the end, there is much to like here, but the dialogue does take away quite a bit.

I didn't really know what to expect exactly, but i thought it was well done. The performances were solid, and the dialogue worked for me. Don't want to say too much without spoiling something, but our two main characters and the actors who play them do a very good job of being distinct and yet having some essence in common. Part of that is the dialog and part of that is the actor. The sterile look works for what this is about; and that ending is eerie. The use of a turntable was particularly interesting; given how often records tend to scratch (around me anyway). And the song is a banger. I'm very glad I watched it; movies with horror undertones don't tend to appeal to me; but this one worked.

No spoilers here.

As I mentioned in the title, I was hoping for and expecting more. I am familiar with the writer and a few of the actors, and I generally enjoy things that they produce. This is not the case here, as the writing feels very stilted and heavy on clichés, and the actors generally do a good job with the material that they are given to work with.

You would likely be better served watching something else, like Cube, and supporting LGBTQ+ stories elsewhere. The themes and ideas of the short are good ones but feel to be applied very poorly. Questions of identity in identiteaze is almost as comically simplistic as a bad episode of Star Trek.

Full disclosure I've been a fan of writer director Jesse Earl known on YouTube as Jesse Gender for at least a year by now. While I don't agree with everything she says I always find her analysis of current Star Wars shows and other similar stuff to be compelling. I would love for this to lead to a series as she has expressed a hope for though it does also tell a full story. This is deeply impressive and not just for a debut. It is primarily made for members of the LGBTQ+ community especially trans and non-binary folks and I really appreciate that it doesn't feel the need to bend over backwards to accommodate us cis-het allies. But don't fret, everyone can find something to relate to in the exploration of identity, of being forced to hide part of who you are.

The technical aspects are immaculate. Impressive acting and writing getting across the ideas. No, the metaphor and allegory are not subtle but I think given how bad things have gotten with legislation(the bathroom bills etc.), we've gotten to the point where just being direct is the best approach. The editing captures the liminal space, the cinematography uses careful framing to underline, in a style somewhat reminiscent of Kubrick, the sterile, alienating set design which takes some inspiration from the masterpiece Cube. There's also some Matrix going on - it's no secret that the Wachowskis did an amazing job exploring what it's like being trapped in a system that hates you, in part for your individuality, and this takes that to a new level without ever feeling like a lazy rehash.

This is thankfully not as winky and frankly kind of gatekeepy as the Channel Awesome anniversary movies - rather, it is what it looks like when *talented* nerds(a term I use affectionately, as I myself am one) are able to make a piece of fiction that they're passionate about. This manages to put every cent of its budget on screen, similar to for example the pilot for Lost and unlike the one for Star Trek Enterprise. The special effects are great and it makes the wise indie decision to not try to depict something it can't do well. It features solid criticism of systems, corporations, the metaverse and binary choice. 8/10.