Hemisphere

As interesting and as obviously impressive as the Sci-Fi production values truly are, writer-director Chris Maes wisely chose to focus most of his minimalist budget and affecting narrative on his two excellent and very attractive female leads, their imperfect relationship and the desperate circumstances they are forced to solve as a team if they are to survive. The close interplay between the two felt very dramatic yet wholly natural and unforced and held my undivided attention throughout which speaks really well for this first time feature film director and his very talented crew from which I am eager to see more.

An amazing, off-the-beaten path film, the kind of outlier that gets made through sheer determination and comes out shining. You quickly forget the low-budget conceits and become engrossed in the characters, beautifully played by two actresses I had not seen before (Paige Rion and Julie Kashmanian) but who are compelling and engaging. They bring to life a tense story that careens from paranoia to corruption to an ultimate reveal that is pretty shocking, and will have you thinking afterwards. If you are curious to know what indie films can do differently than gargantuan studio films, here you go. Thumbs up !

Such a shame -please read if you're on the production team I truly hate giving a poor review, but this movie feels as if it were made as some kind of school project. It was let down so dramatically by the shockingly poor special effects, staging and costumes. This started with the (even now outdated) iPhone being used for communication on the shuttle, the AI, which looked like a cross between a one-armed bandit and a coffee machine with weird voices and even weirder accents, the whole space station looks like someone's badly made home extension, random bits of badly painted mdf stuck to stuff, a ceramic bathroom sink and wait for it... skirting boards everywhere... on a space station!?! The space suit consisted very obviously of an old crap crash helmet and ski gloves, donned over a set of overalls, I could go on but it's not great karma.

The script wasn't very high standard and the delivery in places wasn't particularly natural. It's a real shame, as this movie had some potential, but the failings were simply too many and too distracting to allow me to enjoy it. I did like the lead actress, despite what she was working with, she did a pretty good job. Also the dead body in the vent gets a thumbs up too.

Full disclosure, I know a lot of the people involved on this production, and my immediate take away from all of this is that the performances stand out the most, especially Paige and Julie's performance -- that's a testament to the direction and writing on part of the director, Chris Maes.

This being his directorial feature film debut, what stood out to me was the plucky, bare-knuckle style and grit to the film that makes it enjoyable and worth investing the time into watching. The obviously fault here is that the film wears its budget on its sleeve **which is the case for just about every indie-film** but is especially hard to overcome for indie-science fiction...if you look passed budget constraints then the story becomes a lot more meaningful and enjoyable to watch.

Beyond that, I think the real winning take-away here is that we live in a day and age where science fiction is no longer out of reach for independent filmmakers and that's both inspiring and amazing...so big kudos to the producers for having the gumption to create this. I could never have imagined anyone would attempt a 2-piece chamber film in a small set-location designed to be a space station, but I am here for it!

You can't judge this movie by the shortcomings when you see the earnest attempts made by filmmakers that cost millions and fail horribly due to cliché and forced Hollywood pandering *cough* looking at you Last Jedi....this film fits really nicely into its own category and I really hope to see what Chris has up next.

For those who enjoyed Sean Connery's Outland from 1981, Chris Maes' "Hemisphere" might be the film that appeals to you.

The film has two central performances from Julie Kashmanian & Paige Rion. Telegenic Julie Kashmanian gives an enigmatic and "can she be trusted" type performance.

Julia Kashmanian is a one to watch, along with her performance in "Ghost Planet," I think it's only a matter of time, before she shines in a film which can show her true versatility as an actress.

Meanwhile Paige Rion has a great look on camera. A cool voice and fine acting chops.

With limited resources Chris Maes and his team have made a film exploring isolation, abandonment and the loneliness of space.