The sci-fi and horror genres have always provided the best chance for independent film-makers to create great work with ambition and imagination when opportunity seems lost, discouraged many a time by a lack of accessibility which is prevalent in this most desired of careers.
In past decades, films like Aaron Lipstadt‘s ANDROID (1982) and Norman J. Warren‘s INSEMINOID (1981) provided some interesting opportunities and worlds created by people who had access to finite resources. It is no secret that the original STAR WARS was plagued with cutbacks all through its’ challenging shoot, something that director George Lucas suffered nightmares about years on.
However, it didn’t stop the result becoming a revolution in film-making that has left an indelible mark on cinematic history, not to mention starting the ball rolling on the potential for imaginative storytelling that is seen in every single movie over the last forty-seven years.
The clear influence of Ridley Scott‘s ALIEN (1979) and James Cameron‘s ALIENS (1986), coupled with the likes of John Krasinski‘s A QUIET PLACE (2018) and Rodrigo Cortes‘ BURIED (2010), is felt throughout in writer/director M.K. Woollard‘s LIGHT, an extraordinary lower-than-low budget sci-fi suspenser shot in ten days which has the hallmarks of being a future potential cult hit if marketed correctly.
It’s not an original film by any means given the visual motifs and technology we see (then again, neither was STAR WARS in terms of its’ influences) but it is the execution of the idea that matters and only on occasion does something truly emerge in the market that is unique in terms of what audiences can experience.
On a distant planet, two survivors of a colony ship crash, Niu (Christine Roche) and Tallie (Gia Lily), with nothing but pressure suits and limited oxygen, are faced with the prospect of uncertain existence and survival. Niu is also struggling with being separated from her son Lucas who may or may not be a survivor. Things are not helped by the presence of a mysterious form that happens to be attracted to light. Like any normal mother, Niu is determined to find her son, even if it means drawing her last breath in sacrifice….
There will be the inevitable comparisons to earlier work and the simplicity of the piece may throw some viewers because there aren’t any big, spectacular action sequences, but LIGHT belongs to the more intimate sub-genre of human-driven sci-fi, less reliant on technology and heightens the drama with emotion context and subtlely.
Performance here is as much a priority as visual effects and here the effects only help compliment the excellence of Roche and Lily. I am sure that all concerned will have a chance again (and hopefully sooner) to create something bigger and on a better budget (Look at what Gareth Edwards has achieved and done since MONSTERS!). The simplicity of the idea is reminiscent of BURIED in terms of getting so much out of so little on hand.
In the meantime, celebrate a true gem of independent cinema with a strong female-driven perspective.
LIGHT is available to stream now in the UK and US markets. Please check your local streaming services for availability.
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