Following a sentence for hard labor off planet, 2 inmates find themselves in the same location unexpectedly. Once together, they start finding a bit of humanity in each other before losing a bit of their senses.
Written and directed by Jeffrey St. Jules, The Silent Planet is a character study with a side of scifi, a film that is meant to be less about the action and more about the mental side of things and it works. The story here takes a few risks, spending a good part of the film with just one character when a more basic story would have spent less time getting to know him, making sure the audience knows this man before introducing a second character, a woman. Something to be noted here, this is not a romance and the film doesn’t even go there, instead giving us something refreshing in a man-woman dynamic that isn’t about romance or sex, this is about 2 humans in a desolate location, two people trying to make sense of their lives separately, but also in the same space. There is a touch of science fiction here, but that’s not the main interest of the film. This is a character piece through and through.
The cast here is four people total with two of them getting 99% of the screen time, these two being Elias Koteas and Brianna Middleton. Both of them are excellent. Koteas spends a good part of the film on his own and work here is a master class in acting, a performance that wannabe actors should study. His work is just perfect, on point, nuanced, natural for the part. He gives so much here, even in scenes where he doesn’t speak. Brianna Middleton also gives a solid performance, but a different one, she’s more powerful and in your face a bit, something her younger character requires, something that perfectly balances out Koteas’ performance. These two make story that could easily have been tedious to watch in other hands something to watch with undivided attention. They bring the characters and film to life, making it a must see.
When it comes to the planet where these two have been sent, well, it looks a lot like Earth. That being said, the work by director of photography Paul Sarossy (and his team) is lovely. It’s a bit grey, a bit gloomy, there is a sadness to it all, and it works great here. The images brought the screen are well planned, lit, framed, and shot, making it easy to follow the two leads through the story, not trying to steal their spotlight, but also working well with the story itself.
The art department also needs to be mentioned as they did fantastically well at creating a world that is extremely similar to ours, but with a few changes here and there that create this otherworldly look and feel to things. Great work on all fronts there.
The Silent Planet is a slow moving character study that makes the most of its cast’s talent. Elias Koteas is particularly grabbing and on point with his performance, bringing the viewer in from the start. The film may feel a bit slow here and there, but it feels like it’s on purpose as it adds gravitas and time to think. This is a solid science fiction character piece that deserves to be seen.
This year the Fantasia International Film Festival runs in Montreal from July 18th to August 4th.