Written and directed by Angad Aulakh, stranded in the farthest reaches of space, the sole survivor of a catastrophic accident faces a divine reckoning he never imagined. Starring: Guy Kent, Jennalyn Ponraj, Robert Diago DoQui and Ethan Daniel Corbett.
It’s not often that you find a short film that attempts to create spectacle cinema, but that’s what Angad Aulakh does with Aurora. Along with cinematographer Charlie Wuppermann, they strive to craft an imposing, eye-widening visual and they do a terrific job. It’s aesthetic heavy in a great way, they put a sincere amount of effort into creating that outer-space atmosphere and visual.
A good deal of credit should go to production designer Leah Berman, the detail is excellent. The design overall is strong work, it creates a captivating presence and it’s interesting to see how its use of black and white actually embraces the depth of the colours beneath to create something rich.
Of course, crafting that kind of film does come with its downsides, there’s more focus on the style and less focus on the story, which impacts Aurora most heavily in its ending. It reaches a touch too high and goes beyond the limits of what’s possible, despite the excellent effects work. It’s also worth pointing out that Aurora is entirely made with visual effects work (from Stuart Lippincott, Ian Mills Miller & Adam Spizak) and does not employ any AI. So, it’s a double edged sword, it’s entertaining and has a strong atmosphere but the story feels limited.
However, it’s led by a great performance from Guy Kent, his delivery paired with the aesthetic gives off very strong vibes of the dark days of DC or a touch of Sin City, brooding and fatalistic which was a great choice. He has a good presence, he doesn’t try too hard to inject the fear and panic, it comes across naturally. Especially considering that brooding style, it would be so easy to hit that note overly hard, but Kent strikes a good balance.
Aurora goes all in on the visual, it has such a fantastic scale, the aesthetic is rich and nicely captures that coldness and starkness of space. It’s an impressive visual which is satisfying to watch unfold, but the story sadly isn’t quite as satisfying. Guy Kent gives an engaging performance, it has a strong atmosphere, it’s well edited, the writing just isn’t as effective as the visual work.
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