Plastic (2006) Online

Rarely does a short film push the boundaries of its medium. Even more rarely does one do so in such a way that questions the very nature of cinema. So to do both of these things whilst simultaneously creating a 'mini-movie' that apes multiplex cinema and fills each frame with popcorn friendly eye-fodder, is something that is deceptively subversive.

On the outside this short film looks like its a simple bid by the Director to be given a decent Hollywood budget and run off to Jerry Bruckheimer. But this isn't just a calling card it would appear. It simultaneously attacks the fake 'plastic' values of society and indeed cinema by employing the form in its own story.

This is a world where a smart outsider cannot help himself getting led down the yellow brick road of surface beauty. The attraction to the object of his desire is his downfall... she is just an object and his mind is no longer his own.

The big factory production line of characterless beauty, and the final twist of this all being a computer game pitch for a state of the art console (as close as you can get these days to the true nature of Hollywood), are broad-stroke swipes at the state of society hit home with the unlikely hammer of entertainment.

Perhaps this is the biggest trick the short pulls. By making a short that is accessible to the audience it is addressing, Plastic stands a chance of making a point that might be heard.

One can only hope the kids pick up on it and stop the slow decent into Hollywood dross that they are currently subjected to. Being all things to all people, I imagine that Director Mark Davis will also be able to use this as a calling card and create feature film of equal purpose. Good luck with the subversive revolution.

In our world where celebrity rules and the distinction between fiction and reality is constantly blurred Plastic will be of no help whatsoever, leaving you as a viewer with the task of thinking for yourself. This is just one reason to watch this short film that has more going for it that many feature films I've seen in recent months. The production values are out of this world for a short with a great attention to detail and the score is outstanding. However it is the story and characterisation that makes this stand out as a top notch short. The protagonists are people we know or think we know with traits that we either hate or love in a society that is becoming far too realistic. I loved this film because it not only entertained me but made me think when will the Director's vision become a reality or are we already there?

The best short i've seen in a very long time... a mini-movie with subtext... wicked stuff.

Is this going to made into a feature film? There's more than enough plot. Loved the big reveal, was completely bowled over by the scale of it... The Cinematography and music were like nothing you see in most short films. It felt like a proper movie you'd see in the cinema. None of the slow poignancy that taints a lot of short films.

I also though the main actor, Niko Nicatera (great name too) was awesome... Want to see him in more films. And the fake plastic clone worked really well... easy on the eye too!

Not sure i've seen a short film with as many twists and turns and visual plays, makes you wish there was better funding for the format. Perhaps the internet and mobile phones will catch on, because this sort of film demands an audience. I reckon the X-Box generation would love it.

I stopped liking sci-fi films a while back. Almost without fail they have nothing to offer me. Though, of course, when I was a kid, they were all that I was interested in. Plastic managed to excite in me a youthful curiosity I had long since forgotten, while also stimulating an intellectual response, which, for my sins, I now require when seeing a film. The performances are excellent. The production values equally so. It is both a parody of, and a love letter to, the sci-fi genre. Playing by all the rules, while simultaneously highlighting their presence. Can't wait to see what the director does with a feature length script.