This short film drops us into the middle of siege on a flat where a man is holed up with a shotgun. He has been injured and the police send in a Dr Easy robot to serve as medic and also as negotiator.
I read after watching the film that this was based on the opening section of a much bigger book and I suppose knowing this at least provide context for the short, because it does very much feel like we are getting a tiny part of something bigger. We get no context here for the robot or the situation with Michael. The majority of the film is initial interactions between Easy and Michael and then the situation escalates to a conclusion of that specific scene, although without context it is hard to feel satisfied with the conclusion as it is. I have seen shorts with this same problem – a bigger story to tell and the short is a step towards being able to get the resources to tell it, but the better ones can still satisfy as a standalone short and leave you wanting more because of how good it was – not, in this case, wanting more because so little was delivered in a satisfying way.
It is a shame because there are a lot of resources here already. The effects work very well and Easy never looks fake or like an effect. On top of this the cast features very familiar faces in the shape of Hollander and Macqueen, with balanced voice work from James. It feels very big and professional and it does work as you watch it, but the end result doesn't pay off. There is a bigger story here for sure, but it is a shame that this short film couldn't show us that while also delivering a self-contained and satisfying one at the same time.
