Uncanny Valley is a 2015 Argentine short film directed by Federico Heller. The video was released on Vimeo on November 30, 2015.
| Uncanny Valley | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Federico Heller |
| Written by | Federico Heller |
| Produced by | Federico Heller |
| Starring | Marcela Sandra Ballestero Steve Kisicki Iván Steinhardt Agustin Olcese Raymond Lee Nicole Apstein |
| Cinematography | Nicolas Trovato Fernando Lorenzale |
| Edited by | Federico Heller |
| Music by | Cyrille Marchesseau |
Release date |
|
Running time | 9 minutes |
| Country | Argentina |
| Language | English |
Plot
editIn a dystopian future, various people addicted to virtual reality play a first-person shooter video game. Near the end of the film, the virtual reality set of one of the players malfunctions, and it is revealed that the players are remotely controlling battle robots in an actual battlefield, providing skill and tactics. The "targets" that they are shooting are actual people, including civilians. The player who discovered this then disconnects. Shortly thereafter, he is approached by a robot, presumably controlled by another player, and becomes a target.
Reception
editRoss A. Lincoln of Deadline Hollywood compared the film to the novels Ready Player One and All You Need Is Kill.[1] Meanwhile, Adi Robertson of The Verge praised the film for its combination of documentary-style footage and in-game video game footage.[2]
After its release, the video was featured as a "Staff Pick" for the Vimeo site.[3] In October 2016, the film won Best Short at Animago.[4] The film was also featured at the Shnit international shortfilmfestival.[5]
References
edit- ^ Lincoln, Ross A. (1 December 2015). "Carter Blanchard Circles Script For Film Based On Sci-Fi Short 'Uncanny Valley'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Robertson, Adi (2 December 2015). "Uncanny Valley is a super stylish short film about how VR will destroy us". The Verge. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Bouwmeester, Jason (5 January 2016). "Uncanny Valley Short Blurs Line Between Reality and Virtual Reality". Techaeris. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (29 October 2016). "'Uncanny Valley' Wins Best Short at Animago". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Suárez, Pablo (6 October 2016). "World's largest shorts festival lands in BA". Buenos Aires Herald. Retrieved 7 November 2016.