The idea of human beings playing God and creating new life forms is a sci-fi plot we're all familiar with. In these films and stories, more often than not the creations take on powers that nobody saw coming, and we're all left wondering -- did we go too far?
David Lance's new short film, albeit a familiar plot, brings freshness to this theme. The new life form in the film is inspired by Dutch artist Theo Jansen's futuristic beach strolling animals. Jensen's creations, Strandbeests as he calls them (Dutch for "beach animals"), are made out of plastic yellow tubes and are self-propelled by the wind. They are fascinating to watch and it's no wonder that Lance used Jensen's creations as inspiration for the film's protagonist.
One of Theo Jansen's StrandbeestsLance's film, "The Future Forms Of Life," opens with the mechanical Strandbeest strolling through the park with help from an anonymous hooded human, who soon leaves the animal to continue onwards by itself. The animal takes to the streets where it slowly evolves into a winged spider-like creature wrecking havoc upon the city. At the end of the film our hooded friend returns, only for the creation to fly away into the dark, ominous night sky.
It's a wonderfully crafted film and boasts impressive computer animation. The music, composed by Tomas Dobrovolskis, does a fantastic job of heightening the mood.
The film undeniably begs the question, "what happens when our dreams go too far?" And in today's world, the question does not ring far from true...
The Future Forms Of Life from David Lance on Vimeo.