The Leap

Excellent writing, acting, casting, cinematography, effects makes this short SF film an excellent calling card for writer/director Karel van Bellingen. Script cleanup by Sheridan Thomas may have contributed to a very tight result. Better than most of what comes out of Hollywood, the writing reminds me a bit of some of the best SF short story authors such as Heinlein who could create highly descriptive worlds and backstories with just a word or two. For example, "clubs" run by criminal syndicates offer services that include prostitution. The very lean dialogue manages to explain this in a couple brief sentences. Other plot devices are very tidy and efficient, but then they need to be in a 30 minute piece.

It's definitely a dystopian future for the left-behinds on Earth, with a murderously-repressive yet at the same time ineffectual central government.

Casting also stood out with just the right looks and screen personalities for the roles. The bland and ineffective bureaucrat spouting broad platitudes on the telly had the right look, accent and delivery for the role.

A clever twist and lots of morality play makes this a thoughtful and fun short. It's superbly well done.

I stumbled over this one on the DUST Youtube channel.

I relly enjoyed it! Shame that DUST did not in any way mention who was behind this short, but luckily I found it here!

Keep up the good work!

Great movie too short but ok .. I liked the movie so much... a good movie everyone can enjoy....

'The leap' wastes no time informing us exactly what it is about, narratively and thematically. The opening title card speaks to blunt commentary on the inhumane horror of immigration enforcement before an immediate, violent depiction of that "rule of law."

The short further imparts the glaring cognitive dissonance that law enforcement officers maintain to pretend they're ordinary good people while continuing to actively kill and oppress. Only by stepping back from the beliefs of such strict codes can one actually find moral clarity, and 'The leap' ensures we get that message, too.

For as little as they are given to work with in these 28 minutes, stars Simon Merrells and Alix Wilton Regan nonetheless perform admirably, making their characters feel believably real and human. Jacob's (Merrells) characterization, as an immigration officer, perhaps confers upon him a greater conscience than matches contemporary reality, while Jade (Regan) is barely even second fiddle. Yet the actors do what they can with what is written, and to that end, I commend them.

Maybe it's not fair to point out this short specifically, but nonetheless, it shares a fault all too common to the sci-fi genre. Women in the future are rarely depicted as anything other than a sex worker, a damsel in distress, or both, especially when they are written by men. Writer-director Karel van Bellingen sadly shares that lack of imagination. The reliance on these tropes is at best tiresome; can no one do better?

Still, while imperfect, 'The leap' is sufficiently entertaining. Consumer technology on display in the film is believable, and in some ways doesn't seem far off from where we are in 2021. Broader depictions of the fictional future, including the 2084 skyline of London and exterior shots of a space-faring vessel, look pretty good to these eyes. And for as quick as the picture runs, it's duly thrilling in the story it tells.

It could have benefited from a bit more imagination, but that's an issue one can claim for many a tale of any genre - and if that's the greatest criticism I can actively make, then I suppose we're in reasonably good hands. 'The leap' isn't bad; not at all. It effectively tells a capably engaging story, and is very plainspoken about its core messages.

Worth 30 minutes of your time? Sure, why not.

Great short story. Music was awesome and fit to the core. Acting was superb, the whole story and production just top notch. They need to do a kick starter, I would donate to see this get developed more !!!!