Directed by Shayda Frost and written by Cosette Hatch, trapped in an ambush, a metagalactic captain fends off mysterious beings seeking to leech the human experience from her. Starring: Sof Puchley, Sean Berube, Derrick Aguis, Sunny Tellone, Darren Deng, Ellie Haigh, David W Rice and Autumn Boyer.

After the expansive history of cinema that has been created to date, making something original, particularly in the sci-fi genre is no easy task but Shayda Frost and Cosette Hatch were up to the challenge. It’s particularly refreshing coming from such a female focused team, in front of and behind the camera. The other delight is always finding shorts like ID EST which provide great examples of being aware of your own budget constraints, putting the focus where it matters.

So often in this genre, filmmakers try to make their effects go beyond their financial means and it dampens the experience, thankfully Frost plays it cleverly and keeps things physical as much as possible. Using a nicely expansive setting that’s not too far removed but can easily be made to feel futuristic. In the same way Frost uses the quiet to her advantage, as well as a minimal score to let a slowly bubbling tension build and create a captivating atmosphere.

There’s something to its style that’s reminiscent of the 2000s, but with a much better visual quality. It has a Resident Evil era feel, particularly through its leading lady Renn (Sof Puchley), who has that strength and resilience. Another part of that is the action sequences, they’re well shot and edited to have a great flow and a nice punch to them, something that even a lot of blockbuster films don’t quite get right.

Given that there are few words spoken by Sof Puchley in ID EST’s under a dozen minutes, it speaks to her performance that she makes a strong impression. She has a big physical presence, giving that impression of being a leader and creating a character you sincerely want to keep following even after the credits roll. Puchley is paired well with David W Rice, who gives us an interesting, conflicted performance which has a nice dash of darkness to it.

Perhaps the only weakness of ID EST is the way that the story progresses, the use of the backstory doesn’t have a great deal to add and can slows things down. Although there are parts which nicely feel reminiscent of Doctor Sleep, it may sound like an odd reference for a sci-fi short film but once you see it, it will all make sense. The same goes for its sexually driven scene, the connection between the characters was already implied so it wasn’t really necessary, although it’s done well. It would have been great to see it stay in the moment more strongly instead.

ID EST feels like the beginning of a much larger adventure, and it’s wonderful to see a genuinely female-driven sci-fi with strong action. It’s shot well, Shayda Frost has made a lot of clever choices which allow the film to create a futuristic feel without extending beyond its means. The story could be stronger but the visual, atmosphere and characters are more than enough to make up for that. Sof Puchley leads the way very well and leaves you wanting more.

Verdict: ✯✯✯✯ | 8/10

Make your own verdict by watching ID EST below on Film Shortage