Dust (2014)

In a harsh and unpredictable natural environment where people have isolated themselves behind massive walled cities, a socially marginalized Tracker teams up with a black-market merchant to... See full summary »

Director:

Mike Grier

Writers:

Jason Gallaty, Mike Grier

Stars:

Masashi Odate, Michael Evans Lopez, Madeleine Lee

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Masashi Odate	...	Irezumi
Michael Evans Lopez	...	Medicine Seller
Madeleine Lee	...	Mizuki
Kiyomi Fukazawa	...	Neya
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Montanna Longcrier	...	Mizuki Voice (voice)

Storyline

In a harsh and unpredictable natural environment where people have isolated themselves behind massive walled cities, a socially marginalized Tracker teams up with a black-market merchant to save the industrial society that has rejected his way of life.

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Plot Keywords:

healer | doctor | 

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Genres:

Short | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dust

Filming Locations:

Shikoku, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ember Lab

Technical Specs

Runtime:

22 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Incredibly artistic and well-created film

Dust is one of the finest examples of cinematography I have seen-- and some of the best use of CGI we've come across in recent times. The acting is good, costuming and sets impeccable, the story line although not exceptional, is acceptable in its short context.

I could have easily rated this 10 stars had it held cohesiveness throughout the film-- but for whatever reason the writers / director chose to leave out vital information that would have tied more of the film together. One of the crucial scenes is fully witnessed by the viewer but with no explanation as to what happened, why, to whom or as a result of what. As this moment was intended to tie in heavily to the motivation of the main character, there was far too little information presented in this pivotal scene-- leaving part of the film with "Buckaroo Banzai" syndrome (the director knowing what's going on but finding no need to let anyone else in on it).

This unfortunately created an empty feeling in an essential part of character motivation, leaving the viewer lacking both motivation and identification with the main character and leaving the overall feeling of "not quite done" in the entire film.

Despite this significant flaw the film shows promise that I rarely find in shorts these days-- and earned it a solid 8-star rating. Had the director filled in that tiny gap of information that was necessary to main character development, this could have easily earned a place as best short of the year.

Note: some scenes involving examination of the dead may be a bit intense and graphic for some viewers.