At last year’s Femme Filmmakers Festival, the short sci-fi film from Aurora Fearnley, Pulsar, was on the out-of-competition line-up pre-release. Now, the brilliant little movie is available to stream, following a terrific run on the festival circuit. I was lucky enough to speak to both the director, Fearnley, and Pulsar music composer, Mike Ladouceur, about the film’s inception through arrival.
Listen here then scroll on down to watch the film:
What is immediate about this rustic science fiction gem, is that the visual effects incorporated have served their full purpose. Down to the reflective bobs of light outside of that impressive spacecraft, and the surrounding neon fog that could quite easily be the Northern Lights.
And that sumptuous attention to detail is key to the film’s overall glimmering impact. The glows of the transmitter, even off shot; the control system projection still visible between us and the characters; the blue shadows on the faces; slightly dimming lights on the wall. Sometimes it is the little things that make experiences bigger.
Armed with a booming, harmonious sound design, Pulsar manages to also hit home runs through the cinematography. The depth of photography translates the interior space, but still hints at claustrophobia. Especially the submerging scene, very chilling indeed. The exterior shots, arcing around the ship, are ambitiously accomplished.
The minimal dialogue paints the picture, we learn as much as we need, and gives us a strong enough whiff of character backstory. The gender roles, what with the male peacekeeper, and female criminals, offers a thought-provoking narrative.
Pulsar also touches on the failure of science and technology, as well as humanity’s tendency to go with conflict with one another even in such desperate times. In contrary, towards end, there is an obvious notion of care from a foreign entity.
See the film for yourself below:
Pulsar Official Site
DUST
Little Northern Light
Gunpowder & Sky
Warp Publishing
Mike Ladouceur on Spotify
