WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
What does the future hold? How often this query resounds within us via our desire to not realize the present as much as we should, but rather wish to know where we will ultimately end up. It is a quest for meaning, to ascertain the purpose our lives represent along with the subsequent outcome it all leads to. Guided daily by the patterns of decisions we make, what happens when the truths of said choices don’t line up with who we are striving to be?
In the distant year of 3030, Earth has long since perished. For humanity, continuance has been found on a planet known as Zebra. It is here that a man, Chris Qonnor (Yakov Kolontarov), is currently experiencing a highly unsettled reality. Seemingly haunted by the specter of a (possibly) lost love, Xyra (Lara Salem), the moments he encounters only serve to cause him agitation and confusion. Trying to determine what precisely is transpiring, it leads to confrontation and revelation that only scratches the surface of who Xyra and Chris really are.
Next, my Mind:
For any who might find themselves having the opportunity to view this 12-minute indie short film from writer/director/producer/editor Yakov Kolontarov and find themselves at a bit of a loss, fear not, as the first thing that needs to be clear here–it is a proof of concept effort. Leading the way towards a feature length project Kolontarov has written, we’re simply getting a “first look” at what the future holds for what will be a sci-fi action narrative about facing the past, understanding the present, learning what might be to come, and reluctant heroism. That’s at least what this critic gleaned from what material gets conveyed, and admittedly, it’s aforementioned proof of concept’s roots were showing through. Mind you, this isn’t in itself a BAD thing, because this is one of those “it is what it is” films at this stage. But with SO much to flesh out, even with the film’s initial foundational explanation of its story’s origins, remain patient, dear friends.
Set far into our future and on a new planet humanity has had to find a new home on (precisely WHY outside of mass destruction we are not yet privy to), the narrative sees a man, who we equally know nothing about for context, facing down a girl (or at least some form of her) he deeply treasures but is now finding himself at odds with due to yet more unknown factors other than what’s hinted at. The means by which the intended tension is building between them here IS a tangible, palpable force, but it was hard not to feel so mystified with it all only due TO the fact we aren’t totally aware of ALL the circumstances that have lead the pair to this particular series of moments. Again, this was purposefully done, as we’re supposed to be drawn into the enigma in order to more greatly anticipate what’s to come once the feature length version is completed.
What I felt were the core thematic elements are listed earlier, and to attempt to pull out others based on what we see at this time is a little difficult in my opinion. BUT, that said, ideas surrounding having to deal with a troubled past and wishing to just move away from it towards desired normalcy, losing hold of those we love, having buried regrets at poor choices, possessing power but then confronting the hesitancy of accepting our destiny and who we’re supposed to be all could have their place here once allowed to be witnessed in FULL magnitude. OK, so maybe I DID feel I could glean some facets to things, but so much of it is still HIGHLY conjecture-centric even given what footage we’re watching here. It is certainly an overall narrative that I DO want to see fleshed out, as I feel there is potential for quite an epic indie tale to be had.
From the standpoint of visuals, the film appears decently appealing, again with the understanding this is indie cinema and we shouldn’t come in with expectation of Hollywood-level CGI and overall appearance, which is perfectly fine since story and characters are the more important focus. Now, the imagery IS a little more key to me when it comes to a science-fiction based story, so for what is achievable production-wise here, things should come across well enough. I must applaud Kolontarov for tackling this particular genre, since this IS the day and age of awe-inspiring visual spectacle in the mainstream realms, and hence COULD be a tad intimidating to attempt putting something out there that certain audiences might cast aside as being “sub-par” from this angle. Yet, the devoted and fearless nature of indie filmmakers is evident here as far as this critic is concerned, and I hope people are willing to give this a chance. The feature will be the true visual test.
I have only seen Kolontarov act in one other film to date, which was the comedic horror feature “The Secret Of Bog Lake” (read my review) where he played quite the scene-stealing cad. Here, the actor shifts towards the action hero role, though we only get but a brief taste of what could be through his role as Chris, a man of seemingly significant power whom is having reluctance about what he is, has done, and perhaps expected to do during an unsettled encounter with a woman he loves who’s not herself. Seeing as we’re mainly witnessing a more dramatic instance being represented with just a HINT of what action elements would be involved, I have to be transparent that the delivery here seemed a little muted or hesitant to me. There needed to be an adjustment to how the dialogue was being brought forth that would lend a new level of believability and emotive intensity for me, which is something that CAN be worked on throughout the feature shoot.
This isn’t at all a slam on Kolontarov, as he CAN act and has been very successful with it. I simply thought what we see here is just to “soft” for the actual intensity and building apprehension between the two characters this sequence is portraying. I WANT to FEEL they connection, the emotion simmering then boiling over(NOT to melodramatic degrees, mind you), and so KNOW this CAN happen anew with further work. I really felt the same way when viewing Salem’s performance as well, as we are talking about a multi-talented, highly intelligent young artist whose star should only be on the rise. Here, Salem plays Xyra, a woman with whom Chris has a past relationship with that is now facing a road block thanks to something that has caused her to become hostile towards him. We get a hint at what this is, but nothing that is expanded on, and the ensuing conflict that arises does leave you curious as to what has and will transpire.
As with Kolontarov, I just wanted to truly EXPERIENCE the magnitude of both evident adoration but also growing strain between Xrya and Chris, and it just seemed lacking a bit in emotive credibility given this scenario we see. So, again, NO disrespect to Salem’s efforts at all. I think it just leaves room for further opportunity and ability to improve on the performance and allow the character to have an even more realistic depth to her that will explode forth and lend the necessary impact to the grander story we will hopefully see soon. So, in total, “Chris Qonnor: The Hero” explores its initial roots through just one series of moments in a much larger, but only barely referenced universe that carries with it definitive possibilities for greatness and sheer entertainment as only indie film can provide. It just needs to be known that it is definitive possibilities in need of a little more polishing.
STAR RATING (out of 5)
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
