Michael Wright’s short movie 'Amercon' presents a fascinating story of love and trust. The story focuses on James, a young husband and soon to be father who has the opportunity to participate in a mission conducted by the company he is working for. He accepts this interplanetary endeavor, leaving his pregnant wife home with the promise that he will be back soon to be right where he belongs, with his family. But the plan is not always working as it was in the beginning, and James finds himself stranded on a planet where he seems to be lost…but not for long! At one point he meets another guy that was living and hiding on that planet, a guy that tells him a story that he finds questionable.
We were intrigued by the way Crash Buist played the role of James, a hard role, to be honest, but with a major impact. The sweet visual intermissions of the past events in the middle of the action are really majestic, taking this short to a higher standard. Also, we really enjoyed the score that was adequate for creating a general mood and leaving the viewer with unexpressed powerful feelings in the end…or at least that was our case. Not many movies nowadays can leave you hanging, raising the tension then cutting right before the climax, making the viewer put together the missing pieces.
One part of the story that we really liked because of the weird spectrum of construction was the back story of the other man that James met whilst hiding. He is indeed the element of surprise, the turning point in the narrative. Even though his story wasn’t one hundred percent believable, his role in the scheme was very important and decisive. His actions weren’t predictable, and what he does at some point in the story (we are trying not to spoil the sequence because it is important in the movie!) comes as quite a shock.
There has been some time since we’ve seen a director so eager to tell a good story, and 'Amercon' is the proof of a story well written and well presented in motion picture. We strongly recommend this short to anyone there in the mood for a surreal movie experience.
Written by Vlad A. G