Sci-Fi Short Film “Nine Minutes” starring Constance Wu | DUST Exclusive

In the near future, an experienced astronaut, Lilian, and her A.I. explore a newly discovered planet. After weeks of research, a malfunction during the return launch forces Lilian to choose between survival and completing the mission.
"Nine Minutes" by Ernie Gilbert
#DUST #scifi #shortfilm
Director's Statement:
"I wrote and directed Nine Minutes from a simple idea I had. What if you knew you had only a handful of minutes left. What would you do? What would you reflect on? From there, I knew I wanted a grand scale and scope but to tell an intimate story. I landed on a solo astronaut explorer, Lilian. Intense and enthusiastic about her work. Stubborn to the end. She has to choose between her work and her own survival. The short developed into an allegory for my own feelings about leaving NC to move to LA to follow my career ambitions and what that means leaving behind. What relationships I lost, what time apart from family, and ultimately what that made me feel." - Ernie Gilbert
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DUST presents thought-provoking science fiction content, exploring the future of humanity through the lens of science and technology. From timeless classics to cutting-edge movies, series, short films, and podcasts, DUST acquires, produces and distributes all content types.
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Sci-Fi Short Film “Nine Minutes” | DUST
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[@pugsan]

It was over as soon as I read they traveled to the far corners of the universe (it has no corners) to solve Earth's energy crisis. If we could travel to the 'corners' of the universe, we'd have no energy crisis.

[@stevie-ray2020]

Exactly!

[@Me__Myself__and__I]

I thought the exact same thing. Also, if we can travel the entire universe Earth would no longer be all that important because we'd be an intergalactic civilization. The writing on this, from start to finish, was just awful.

[@CanPopper]

Yeah, the energy needed for FTL is beyond horrible.

[@digital_gravity]

I literally paused the video after reading the opening, scrolled down to find a comment like this, thumbed it up, and am moving on to another DUST short as the premise of this shows the writers flunked high school physics.

[@laughtoohard9655]

That's a great point. I wonder why we maintain that archaic saying, however how do we know there aren't corners? I know. Common sense won't support it. When I was a kid I envisioned our Universe in a jar sitting on a shelf "somewhere". Also, if we traveled to the end of our Universe what would happen? Would we bump into something and come upon a "The End" sign? It can be mind boggling, but fun to think about.

[@georgehawkes1740]

She had me in tears.... To think I just wasted 12 minutes I will never get back

[@somehuman1901]

I like her face at the end I feel it mirrors the audience after watching this.

[@stufftuwatch4673]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@Freemassageproject]

Intrrestinh comment br0

[@mistiemill3262]

LOOOOOOOL

[@mistiemill3262]

@@richardbidinger2577 idk how you can be dead and standing up

[@simoncollins6529]

Huh??? 🤔.......... Oh 😮

[@tovsteh]

The reason she never takes her helmet off is because this was filmed in the outskirts of L.A you guys

[@Morningv0dka]

Godlike

[@tomhefner6344]

You mean Alabama.

[@colinp2238]

Hollywood?

[@rogerschofield2795]

This actually looks like the Trona Pinnacles in Ca, very near death valley. Also used in some other movies, notably Star Trek V

[@aeropilot4419]

Roger Schofield yep, Trona fersure

[@mikegager]

i think i would have popped off my helmet in the last second. the ship was burning so chances are there was oxygen in the air

[@Ztertis]

So true

[@blue_canyon]

But it would likely not be breathable air... Out breathable air here on earth is actually around 78% nitrogen. If the composition is too far off, fire may be able to use it as fuel/accelerant/whatever but a human may suffocate after a few minutes or so.

[@carreg-hollt]

@@blue_canyon Absolutely. And in any case alkaline earth metals burn in nitrogen so if the ship was made of titanium there wouldn't have to be any oxygen at all.

[@pontram]

Maybe, but what if you knew there would be excruiting pain, burning down your throat like acid, burning your head, cooking your eyes - I would not want have my last moments be a torture like this....

[@squeakeththewheel]

And there was atmosphere - the wind was resisting her parachute. And why is she wearing lip stick?

[@flickinggamer]

The comments here are better than the film.

[@PetroicaRodinogaster264]

flickinggamer yes indeed...and all in agreement. I concur

[@GenesisProgressive72]

Doesn't take much ;)

[@rabidcougar6465]

@@chada75 How many do we have to watch before we find one?

[@tirsden]

I'm just gonna say this: she walked away from the crash site, the biggest marker for her location and the easiest way to find the samples she values over her own life.

[@kenglasson2920]

She would/could not have gone far. Close enough to be found.

[@Alcoholic_Nerd]

@@kenglasson2920 Found by who, did you not pay attention to the opening/premise? There is no one to "find" her.....

[@scottymiles9630]

Great job.

[@joestitz239]

She'll be there a thoouusaand yeeaars 😢

[@PhilipLeitch]

It started slow, was slow in the middle but boy did it end on a slow note.

[@gregoryhoover5875]

That's hilarious

[@topformfitness]

LOL

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

It plays back like a black box flight recorder - the last recordings of her suit's PDA... gave me chills to hear it... Doomed, but she is still on mission, until the shock, trauma, and hypoxia starts to cloud her mind... and she dies.

[@gregoryhoover5875]

@@SeaJay_Oceans Still, they could have spruced the ending up with some dinosuars, ufos, and hot babes in some daisy dukes, or some car crashes, or SOMEHING! Come on!!!

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

It is grwat to see more Science in Science Fiction. She's Doomed, she knows this, and she still pulls it together and stays On Mission. She is a true hero.

[@MikeG-mp2sj]

Guess low battery warnings in the future are the same as my phone now. 15% remaining ... 20 seconds later the phone turns off.

[@andriyshapovalov8886]

And when you plug it in, it shows 38% charge after 15 sec.

[@leonestello]

Lol... funny

[@iqdpb2161]

Mike G Not if your Smartphone also has this very powerful battery 🔋 yea, like my Galaxy of Samsung -J2 Core, goes if you listen 1, 2 hours music, stands by for at least 21 hours!’ So that’s an interesting and very nice long lastingly standby-time functioning.

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

grrr... don't remind me of the iPhone: 100% ... 80% ... 42% -> 0% Apple Genius: 'Oh kay, well - just buy a new iPhone!' I took half his advice. I did buy a new phone, but never an iPhone again.

[@Billyhope00]

Lol only with Android phones tho... my iPhone has insane battery life

[@chandrakant1479]

Me: A 9 min short film can't be boring. Ernie: Hold my oxygen tank.

[@micketemp7454]

🤣😂

[@NeekoFreeman]

I see people complaining that the film is 12 mins while the title is 9min. If you remember, AI told her 33 minutes of oxygen left if she stands still. However, if she walks she will only have 30% maybe a bit less of that 33 minutes. Hence the 9 minutes. I like this short. Some flaws but I get the concept you were going for. We don't always get it right in filmmaking but that's the joy of of the journey.

[@professord1522]

I think Lilian is a very sympathetic character, and Ms. Wu did a great job conveying her sadness, dedication & desperation. But as for the overall plot, and the final minutes of dialogue, all I can say is: "HUH?"

[@spacecowgurl57]

Amen 🙏

[@albertzayha8884]

Nice use of silent camera movement to convey emotion, during the sunset of Lilian's life.

[@randocalrissian4520]

"The crash is located a quarter-mile southeast" Why is the AI using imperial measurement, especially since it uses metric later?

[@starblazer13]

That's why it crashed ;)

[@tk000]

The same reason she can't figure out where the crash site is from the column of smoke.

[@TrackZero]

And why did they montage a quarter-mile....it's not that far.

[@bgsound2721]

@@starblazer13 fiction mirroring reality

[@ricq]

Starblazer XIII lmao

[@digitalmoonbooks]

Very moving solo performance. You've got this young woman who is dying in the desert thinking about her mom and how she gave up her relationships for her work which ultimately killed her, I get it that the samples were destroyed. Her work and death a tragedy. But her sacrifice is a statement about what it will take to go out into the Galaxy, pressing on in the name of Science and human advancement. Congratulations to Ms Wu for her excellent performance.

[@Demun1649]

She would always "do" a great performance. She is Canadian after all.

[@BigDsGaming2022]

Finally . A dull Dust short film . It was bound to happen .

[@pauleveritt3388]

I have given others the YAWN review as well.

[@UkDave3856]

Not enough CGI pew pews and layzors for you?

[@pauleveritt3388]

@@UkDave3856 Just a very soft predictable "plot" with no real story.

[@MobileFilmmaking]

@@UkDave3856 LMAOOOOOOOOOOO "CGI pew pews and layzors..."

[@charleskafka]

i liked it. .

[@ky42]

Im a lifelong Sci Fi fan and a long time fan of Dust. But I believe I have gotten tired of so many bad/sad endings to so many of these.

[@theripleyeffect5203]

Interstellar and time travel, as well as exploration will always be dangerous, with many unhappy endings.

[@chrebetcrunch]

Constance Wu did a good job, but there was so much wrong with the script I wouldn't know where to start. Let me start with the beginning, when she had to get help finding the direction of the crash, yet you can clearly see all the smoke rising in the air.

[@kevinpope7230]

Let's start with "Earth is having an energy crisis so they spent vast amounts of resources sending astronauts to the corners of the universe." WE HAVE A MASSIVE FUSION ENGINE THAT WILL RUN FOR SEVERAL BILLION YEARS. And sending a single astronaut to survey a planet with a single return vehicle. The entire premise is just absurd.

[@pigpuke]

And it's not even self consistent, a quarter mile then switch to meters when she gets close.

[@butlerproman]

@Skipping Stones Nah, he's right; it' s the script.

[@DarionDAnjou]

she wasn't believable to me as a competent astronaut. not her acting or look. the stuff the script had her do ruined her credibility for me. i felt like i was watching an actor in a short movie, and kept wondering hm, where did they shoot this?

[@jv-lk7bc]

she's in shock and in pain and hadn't looked that direction yet.

[@brandonhanserd7832]

The spaceship and this film are both similar in a way.....they both went nowhere

[@MobileFilmmaking]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@tierrasanea9560]

I'm screaming. 😂😂😂😭

[@RagnarCzerwony]

Agreed, very bad film for the Dust.

[@daz3462]

Calculated minutes of digital code replayed over and over on multipuls of that calculas ... how advance have are we? .I got told this place belongs to calculas of c

[@bill-zy6dg]

If you've ever faced your own death you will understand what a great job this was.

[@erbiemurat2271]

It's true, you know. This little rock that we call home really does have a wide range of alien landscapes to make the filming possible and the scenario plausible. I thought I felt lonely, isolated and vulnerable sometimes, but naah, the astronaut in this little gem certainly tops any loneliness, isolation or vulnerability I may have felt - or indeed imagined. .

[@cthulhufhtagn2483]

Film: Nine minutes. KZbin: Twelve minutes.

[@Quarton]

9 . . .12 mins. wasted, either way.

[@cthulhufhtagn2483]

There are currently 9 likes on this comment. This makes me happy.

[@DarionDAnjou]

bwahahahahaha. otherwise known as shooting themselves in the foot

[@between_the_sets]

me with accelerator: 2 min

[@js7un165]

Computer: You have 2 minutes left. She blabs on for 5 minutes.

[@SuperAtheist]

"All engines look good" me: it seems a bit too early to say that.

[@bigpompano1659]

“Talking reduces oxygen capacity” *starts long, boring monologue*

[@longsin9993]

Tl;dr: if the director/crew ever reads this, I’d just like to say, be careful with reflective surfaces, but otherwise, you have one viewer who liked the short. I quite enjoyed this short, and reading the comments from other people and seeing the like-dislike ratio afterwards actually really surprised me. I agree there are flaws with the short, although the flaws that I see are not the ones that have been described by the majority of the comments (disclaimer: I did not check every single comment). These are the things I do not think were critical flaws: 1. Many of the comments I read mentioned the possible presence of oxygen due to the presence of the fire and smoke. I cannot remember from Chemistry class whether the presence of fire and smoke must indicate oxygen in all cases - it might be so - but I am going to put that aside for now. I am going to assume this is an extraterrestrial planet that we are not too familiar with and there may be exotic chemical reactions, or alternatively, there might indeed have been oxygen but not in sufficient concentrations to support human breathing but still enough for smoke and fire. I put this issue aside because I think the premise of the short was that Lilian was facing imminent death, and the emotions that were brought with it in light of knowledge of such imminent death. I would have taken issue with the smoke if instead the plot was focused on actually trying to find a survival method. 2. I would assume that Lilian knew about the atmospheric composition of the planet, having already done analysis and sampling on the planet. If, as some have suggested, Lilian should have just taken off her helmet to see if there was oxygen, it would have actually broken the story for me because I would immediately question why she did not know about the atmospheric composition beforehand. Having said that, I can accept an ending where Lilian took off her helmet in the last moment to breathe in the extraterrestrial atmosphere knowing that she would die anyway, if only for dramatic purposes, provided that the atmospheric composition was foreshadowed or indicated somewhere in the short as being incapable of supporting human breathing. 3. The fact that Lilian did not notice the wreck and needing the AI to tell her the location of the wreck was not an issue for me because I easily accepted she would have been dazed and only just starting to re-orient herself after a crash. She had a dislocated arm and it would make sense that her attention was on her arm first, rather than noticing the column of smoke. I think that was sufficiently conveyed by the change in camera angle after the AI told her the direction of the wreck, confirming her direction of vision (especially with the helmet possibly blocking her peripheral vision) was not towards the smoke. 4. The time estimates given by the AI for remaining oxygen did seem a bit imprecise, and there were points where I thought, "well, those four minutes definitely lasted quite a long time". I did not take issue with that too much though, as my focus was still on what Lilian was saying and her professionalism as a high-risk taking and well-trained astronaut in face of life-threatening danger. I found it easy enough to accept that the AI’s estimates were just estimates and varied depending on how much Lilian spoke and moved about. To me, the major flaw was the last monologue scene where the camera went around Lilian. I could not help but notice, in both passes of the camera directly in front of Lilian’, that we could see the heads camera crew strafing across in the reflection of the visor. I think I noticed it because of two things: 1. first, I actually quite liked this camera technique while Lilian was giving her monologue, it really put the focus on her and the subtle reflection of the desolate environment on her visor really gave her monologue some context, and so a small part of me was going "how are they going to shoot Lilian when they go in front of her with all that reflection?", so in a way, I could say I was half-heartedly looking out for it; 2. second, I think the eyes of the audience would naturally be drawn to Lilian’s eyes when we look straight at her with almost nothing else but her in the frame. Yet the moving silhouettes of the camera crew were exactly on the horizon as well! This was a major flaw for me because, despite me drifting off by myself in my original thoughts about camera angles, I had to completely drop my suspension of disbelief at this point once I saw the camera crew. I actually had to rewind and look away just to hear what Lilian was actually saying near the end. I do note, however, the camera crew and actor probably had to do this on one take because they probably wanted to take advantage of the setting sun in the reflection/background to parallel the imminent end of Lilian’s life (and we all know how fast the sun sets when we try to take a few more shots of sunset photos!). The crew probably did not have a second chance to do the shot again even if they noticed the flaw right after shooting. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the short a lot because for most of it, it took me on an emotional journey. I don’t think I agree with those who felt like the short was going nowhere (and yes I have seen quite a number of shorts where I felt actually went nowhere but I’m not going to name them because I’m not commenting on those right now). Yes, it’s true that Lilian’s chances of survival was implied to be slim in the beginning and there was no dramatic twist in the end where she actually gets saved, which I suppose it not a conventional story structure. However, I think it worked well for this particular short because I felt like these were some of the feelings that the short was trying to convey, i.e., the disappointing lack of a twist, which sometimes happens in real life when you are hoping to get out of some unwanted situation. In that regard, the short makes you itch for some miracle to happen, but as each minute passes, there seems to be less and less of a chance that a miracle or a solution was going to happen. And then you put yourself in Lilian’s shoes as she tries to stay calm, but at the same time, there are some emotional outbursts as each possible hope is extinguished. Near the end, she knows that she is probably not going to survive, but was hoping that the fruits of her work might survive and be discovered by others down the road, but then the case holding the samples show abnormal green and red lights. She runs out of oxygen as she contemplates her life and her monologue loses cohesion. For most of the short, I think it made me stop enough to feel as Lilian felt. I guess it only worked for a minority of us though, seeing how most comments panned the short with some saying that they did not connect with the character. :( The last positive point that I would make is that I did feel the emotion connection with Lilian because I think the actor’s acting was convincing enough. I was especially impressed at the end where she had to hold still and not blink or move her eye for quite some time to show that Lilian was dead (although that’s of course not the only part of her acting I liked).

[@scetchport]

I had to press like as i didnt actuall disslike. BUT, your comment......i think it best YOU make a movie as you ...know it all.

[@spiritgifted]

I'm glad I picked this video to cut my toenails . I couldn't see the screen much, but I don't feel like I missed a thing.

[@jamesdriscoll9405]

I liked the camera work, and the suit was a good prop. Some of the details, like the cord loop on the release mechanism looked legit. The explosion was ok, and the fire wasn't too far fetched, as rockets carry their own oxidizer. The sample box seemed flimsy. And small. The 360 spin shot was a nice touch, onset of hypoxia & all.

[@spiritgifted]

@Ulf Knudsen ... Far out, man far out...

[@marcmorgan2731]

I highly recommend this if you enjoy being bored to tears!

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

I get that this is supposed to be some sort of existential experience, but devoting a third of the film to barely audible rambling doesn't really deliver it. Short films inherently have loose ends, but usually they drive home one point and leave the audience wanting more. Here I don't know anything about the mission, the basic objective, or the person I'm supposed to care about.

[@vegurion2]

You learn a lot about said person with this (unnecessarily) long monologue. That didn't had any effect on me since I didn't care either, but I guess there are people with similar experiences that can relate to her and reflect.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

@Skipping Stones I'm fully aware of the concept here, it's just not well executed.

[@josephinman4623]

If you don't like it. Make your own 9.

[@vince55sanders]

@@josephinman4623 ...and stretch it out to 12 and a half ?

[@josephinman4623]

@@vince55sanders That would probably hurt a lot. But, whatever trips your trigger.😫🤔🤪🏃‍♂️

[@natalianeris3657]

I love the sun reflecting on her helmet right there on the third eye!

[@qwertyuiopgarth]

Faulty Premise: if a society that is able to send astronauts to 'the far ends of the universe' will only have an energy problem if it is incredibly mismanaged.

[@Krush3mall]

We are incredible mismanagers of energy..makes sense

[@DarthCookie]

Maybe they have an energy problem because they're wasting it all flinging themselves all over the universe.

[@DarthCookie]

@That_ Dude Spaceship: BOOM! Everyone: Awwwww. Not again.

[@marcmelvin3010]

From the beginning that bothered me. We can send humans across the galaxy, but we haven't already figured out fifty ways to harness the power of fusion, or moved into space where the sun provides more than we could ever use? This is where someone writing science fiction needs to have at least a rudimentary background in science, and be familiar with the accomplishments and hopes of our various space programs.

[@qwertyuiopgarth]

@@marcmelvin3010 Which is why much 'Science Fiction' is actually 'sciencesque fantasy'.

[@user-tv6zz1vm3x]

It is not my whole life that flashes before me. It is my regret. Even in a life marked be success and duty and accomplishment, I spend my last moments reconciling my abandonment of love. Two minutes of truth against four more of denial. Oxygen well spent. Beautiful film.

[@tomwadsworth25]

Won’t ever get those 9 minutes of my life back...

[@hamentaschen]

@Thomas Wedsworth: Interestingly, that is exactly what your momma said immediately after she birthed you.

[@MikeG-mp2sj]

Actually, it was 12:29 .... 9 minutes just referred to a generalization of her continued moving caused her to have only 30% of 33 remaining minutes of oxygen.

[@infinitesentient3545]

You weren't going to do anything else with them. Acting like your time is precious while you sit on youtube and then whine in the comments. So precious.......right!

[@tomwadsworth25]

Infinite Sentient fair

[@tomwadsworth25]

Mike G i started it at 3:29 (jk)

[@discoguru8363]

Dust generally has great stuff. Generally.

[@marvinkitfox3386]

OK. Maybe I missed it due to the mumbled dialogue. but WHERE is the supposed "choose between survival and completing the mission"??

[@marvinkitfox3386]

@@ChickensAndGardening Which would NOT have given her survival.

[@BowlofIndoMee]

How lucky she landed on a planet with gravity just like Earth

[@chrispydrummer]

I liked how she slipped into delirium as the oxygen went away...really sad and poignant. this was a well done short

[@davezentner7384]

Almost all these Sci fi films produce an insane over the top crisis bringing death and failure to the mission..Things could go smoothly in some of these films without major catastrophes.

[@rayo1883]

John Ford was once asked "why don't the Indians just shoot one of the horses?" He said "cause then we wouldn't have a movie." I don't know if I would have watched 15 minutes of her sitting in a rocket ship going back to Alpha.

[@josephinman4623]

@@rayo1883 Yup. And no animals were harmed I'm the making of this film, not counting the human of course. Except maybe the intestinal Flora and fauna, possibly some lice.....

[@ArturJday]

Ship is burning and sky is blue. Atmosphere is near to Earth

[@pauleveritt3388]

I would have made the sky orange for a better efffect.

[@flaviusnita6008]

Maybe the outer oxygen is not BIO.

[@Me__Myself__and__I]

This script is garbage, but there really is no way to say the atmosphere would be survivable just because there is fire and a blue sky. The atmosphere could be very thin or it could contain one or more gases that are toxic to humans. Not that the script writer understood or consciously thought about any of that though.

[@Dogband]

I have watched several of these in the last days. I keep rooting for the film to develop into something more, to be stunning, to be, well..... better. While I do admire your efforts and cinementography, most just start slow and never go much of anywhere. My aploogies for a negative comment. You are far more talented than I. Keep at it.

[@Demun1649]

Only your last two sentences made any sense. What is a BETTER film? I think you watch too many zombie killer movies. Try some culture. And I don't mean homegrown weed.

[@Firebrand55]

Not up to the DUST standard; limp plot, over-dialogued and sedentary pace.....in the end, signifying nothing.

[@MoonWolf_yt]

I'm afraid it has become DUST standard.

[@josephinman4623]

Everybody dies alone.

[@geminirat60]

@@josephinman4623 not true

[@MiamiVise305]

Agreed

[@jamesdriscoll9405]

​@@geminirat60 Yeah, some people die with their parasites.

[@kevinsmak]

Maybe the green and red lights on the samples mean the air is breathable. She should have removed the visor...

[@cvcoco]

I was going to spend time writing a critique and then I thought only fools would double their losses at this point.

[@hairy8184]

All I kept thinking about was how good the helmet looked, how the props people had done such a good job, and how such a waste of effort that was.

[@MobileFilmmaking]

I KNOW RIGHT. I made a sci-fi short - kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmqpYn5tf9GmrNU - and the suit that I purchased was no where as good as the stuff here. Then again,. i'm a total beginner so my film is not as nicely shot as this either...lol

[@jv-lk7bc]

Powerful well-acted and shot piece about what explorers have to deal with. We have a million sugar-coated jingoistic hollywood endings set in redicu-unrealistic action and settings. Its refreshing to see the other side of the odds, where the space cavalry didn't come shoot-em-up and they didn't reverse the polarity of the ionizing transducer just in the nick of time ... real heroism is more like this. lonely, desolate, not a neat package tied up in a bow. A tribute to all those that died trying on the water, in the desert, on the ice, on a frontier ... they are many and we owe them a debt...if only just to remember them once in awhile.

[@bama4346]

That's twelve minutes of my life I'll never get back.

[@jim2lane]

Constance Wu's lipstick is always perfect - even in a space suit, on an alien world, after her ship crashes 😉

[@stevie-ray2020]

That's for her Instagram followers!

[@blujay2084]

It's the future.. Her lips have been permanently reddened using a process that uses way, way too much energy. That's the irony.

[@rklein]

Yay Constance! I don't generally enjoy sad sci-fi, but getting to watch Constance spread her wings while throwing an f-bomb is worth it!! So happy for her. Oh and nice video too.

[@robsrob1283]

Great performance. Seriously impressed. Well done.

[@ianhopcraft9894]

Well I liked it because I've often wondered what an astronaut would think of if they had only a short time left and zero hope of survival. Here we are shown a character with inspiring fortitude.

[@SeamusMagnier-vz6zc]

It's not real. In that situation anyone would panic

[@G.D.Traveller]

The story jumps right in the middle, or actually at what would be almost the end. But Science Fiction is merely the framework, not the story. That is the inner world, or universe, of the protagonist. How she got there and why, and how that also still makes her value her mission over her own life and herself in general. A slow and short story perhaps, but I will take this over Marvel any day. Like the song by Seal: it's the loneliness that's the killer. And that is the story here. Very well acted. Would deserve a much longer version with more story and background.

[@966Mako]

The directors statement says "she had to choose between her work & her own survival" that doesn't make sense. A real person, not in the movies. Would look to there survival first, before the work. You can't work or help anyone if your dead. She realised within minutes of arriving at the crash site, she had no spare oxygen & was going to die. There was no survival happening. It takes time, money, people & dedication to shoot a film of any quality. And the tracking shot at the end was very well done, the highlight of the short. This wasn't a bad plot, but the script let it down.

[@tealwraith9045]

"She had to choose between her work and her own survival." She says her work IS her survival so she wanders away from the wreckage and makes it that much more difficult for them to find the all-important samples? She would have sat down a short way up the ridge overlooking the crash site and delivered her last words there with the samples between her knees.

[@allenc4731]

I swear I could see the camera man reflecting in her helmet, go help her already, instead of just filming nothing!

[@gregorylagrange]

I thought that too but it was her own shadow.

[@cherias.4069]

Her last hear-felt words are deep from her heart. Beautiful when any human "intospects" within and clearly sees whom /what they have 'become.' A beautiful Human attribute. 💖

[@greggcollins4215]

The clouds in the sky indicate water vapor and therefore oxygen.

[@gregorylagrange]

acid rain

[@slayinvisible]

"2 minutes of oxygen left" Longest two minutes of my life. Even the AI was hinting at her shutting up. "Conserve. Oxygen."

[@ArmonMitchell]

The use of the word "g--damn" is the sure signature an attempt to bring intensity in the presence of weak writing

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

In actual black box recordings of failed flights - often the pilots are intense, but keep it together to the very end, as their minds struggle with their doomed flight - following their training, trying everything, anything - to save their flight... but often, if there is time - they come to the realization - that there is absolutely nothing left to do - but die. At that moment of realization, the fated crew can be heard saying what you think they would say, 'ahh, Sh!t' or 'Jesus, this is it!' or 'damm-it!' or 'F#%$!' - all their training, and technology - and nothing worked - they die... It's not wrong for a sentient being to express frustration and emotion, when faced with certain death. It's ok. No creature wants to suffer or die... but all will - sadly.

[@Spanky_McWaffleson]

Profanity is the feeble mind's way of expressing itself forcefully.

[@ArmonMitchell]

@@Spanky_McWaffleson Profanity may have its place when it is used as a "condiment" but every dialogue video game and film go out of their way to make sure a 'g*ddamn' or a 'Jesus Christ' is uttered....like there is some sort of checkbox that mandates this.

[@billmurray7473]

From DUST we come. To DUST we shall return.

[@Mecks089]

How is it possible to die standing up, and not fall over?

[@geekdiggy]

m.a.r.c.: conserve. oxygen. Lilian: [doesn't shut up]

[@johnl4469]

Many years ago my Mum told me "Johnny, if you have nothing good to say, say nothing"........

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

GREAT ! A SciFi film that is actually fictional Science. She risks her life, to safeguard and complete the mission - still knowing she will die. Sample's secured safely. When the rescue / recovery ship comes by in a few years looking for her - they will find the crash site, and her body a short distance from the wreckage... with the sample container. Mission Accomplished. She dies a hero, helping saving the world.

[@mohammedzulk8485]

“Far corners of the universe “ 13.5 billion light years?!

[@stevie-ray2020]

Then she would have to an android, but then why would she need oxygen? Also it would mean that if her ship had returned to earth, by that time our would've undoubtedly gone nova!

[@russward2612]

It's amazing to me that the alien planets in most sci-fi movies, both feature length and shorts, look like southern Utah. That is some dramatic landscape though. Barren, primeval and stark.

[@2wheeler58]

The way she just stopped...she was a humanoid...i.e. automated robot. I remember the voice speaking to her said he would have to shut down the system...her.

[@oak4901]

would not need oxygen then,,,

[@BrainDamagedBob]

@@oak4901 some sort of fuel cell, that is the battery she ran on

[@karenli728]

Who would make a robot that needs oxygen to live?

[@philipholman1713]

@@karenli728 because it's was bio mechanical. The biological part needed oxygen. Remember she said her arm felt unattached not dislocated.

[@psychonaut1829]

If only the writer was that smart

[@IndianKnowledgeHub]

Why dislikes on this video??... Appreciate their work

[@randallpetersen9164]

Wow, I haven't seen many reactions to dust videos that are as negative as the comments here. This one must really stink, guess I'll save myself 12 minutes and move on to something else instead.

[@JOTAELEORO]

Great film. What a sad die. There are tears in my eyes.

[@spaceman081447]

How can Earth be having an "energy crisis" if they're sending interstellar ships "to the far corners of the universe"? It takes a lot of energy for interstellar travel - even by generation ships. Remember the old saying, "Where there's smoke, there's fire." For the wreckage to be burning, as it was shown to be doing, there would have had to be oxygen in the planet's atmosphere. So why was Lilian running out of oxygen?

[@melamspacher5755]

thank you "DUST People" Another good film...

[@pgrayson1]

I am hard of hearing and do not want to miss a word in your videos. Can you turn on auto-generated closed captioning, please? Really like the series, great images.

[@bgsound2721]

Closed Captions should be a requirement for all DUST Videos

[@jamesmatthews2966]

When they go to Mars it's going to be great to hear them tell us and show us what it's really like

[@covertops.]

They are already there, but they are not telling!

[@kaylaw.6582]

I love her. But I don’t think this is her thing, considering what she has done already.

[@hl6816]

People are ripping this film apart, but I really liked. I actually felt for Lilian. This film reminded me of Stalker with it's monologue and continuous shot at the end. It felt very contemplative. Sometimes...nothing can be done.

[@anah3864]

Sorry, but this was awful. A great short can make you feel like you've seen a great full-length film. This short seemed like one big, incredibly rushed cliche, with the "payoff" being a badly written, terribly delivered, monologue. I generally like Constance Wu, but this is definitely not her best work. Granted, she really had nothing to work with. I feel for her. This is just awful all around.

[@Me__Myself__and__I]

She should have taken one look at the script and said NO WAY I'm doing this garbage. She either doesn't have an agent, didn't show the agent this script or needs a new agent.

[@montereypines]

proof you can like a film (ette) but still make fun of it. the joy of sci fi.

[@johnbowman1076]

Doesn't meet even the minimum standards. It should be shelved.

[@Me__Myself__and__I]

I'm frankly shocked Dust would allow this garbage on their channel.

[@tikkebob]

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. Martin Luther. Even when faced with inevitability she stands her ground, and there is that part of her motivation that brought her there. Wonderful story, wonderful movie. Thanks!

[@phukyu1491]

Shouldn't it be called 12 minutes and 29 seconds?

[@malindarayallen]

A great for to watch if your having trouble sleeping. 😴

[@aashutoshsinha1253]

*2 minutes on that planet is 5 minutes on Earth*

[@jkobain]

I'm really happy to come here and see all the comments down below. They're way better than the movie.

[@CabezaBlock]

So all the interesting part(s) was put in the preview, and all we get in the actual film is just her walking around in a space suit. LAME!

[@stevie-ray2020]

@@nobody7817 That was for her Instagram followers!

[@stevie-ray2020]

You mean people also wasted their time watching a preview for this!?!

[@Fweepo]

The only thing here is the line about turning cold to everyone one day and just going through the motions, I can relate most days.

[@sidewinder666666]

Am I the only one who couldn't understand what she was saying? I understood the AI just fine.

[@9700784176]

Why these dust videos ever have a happy ending.

[@luisgonzalez58]

2:47 She'd have more oxygen if her suit was zipped up all the way. #details

[@leventekalmantorok5518]

exactly my point.

[@stevie-ray2020]

Must've been a hot day on the set!

[@kangooroo1]

Thank you E. Gilbert, for making Sci-Fi films!

[@AtlasReburdened]

I feel like too much got put behind the final speech in importance. Like, those samples are in a case that just survive a rocket explosion and the subsequent fall, how is your dead body being next to it going to keep it any safer? It's not, which means the plot was just built just to deliver the protagonist to the monologue.

[@badopinionsrighthere]

That and anyone coming to look for the samples would start at the wreckage. She just made it more difficult for others to find it.

[@drakeequation521]

We all come into this world alone and we will all leave this world alone. Regardless of whether she had the life she did or some other life, filled with touching and happiness, she realized she would face her final moment the same. We all die with regrets for avenues we never explored.

[@mindymoto1]

I normally like these short films...but, this one was no bueno. Sorry.

[@mindymoto1]

@Skipping Stones "SUPER CUTE"????? You condescending jerk. Get lost

[@nopushbutton]

@Skipping Stones Happy Halloween!

[@oak4901]

If you are closed emotionally you may not GET this little piece....Also the irony of the (insert wind sound)and the tuft blowing on her suit....

[@Nakamichi_Jun]

"The cookies are done, Gary" ( T_T )

[@PelDaddy]

Nicely done. The acting was superb. The film dirt filter (or lack of cleanup if this really was "Shot on Eastman" ) was really more of a distraction. As a VFX pioneer I have been cleaning that dust up for decades. I don't think it makes tings feel more real. Sound track was great. Direction was great. Nice work on the reflections. More importantly good story. Thumbs up.

[@jeffreymartin3361]

Co-starring the guy who takes my cable payment over the phone every month

[@RivuSouravBanerjeeVideoEditor]

The Parallax Shot in the end was superbly shot

[@SpaceManAus]

I will just tug on this last hope of oxygen even though I was told to be careful that sounds like what a professional astronaut would do.

[@johnjhill3]

*WOW!!! That first minute of SPFX was Mind Blowing!!!!*

[@scottswierenga9070]

Grade: D+ "Short Film Control, requesting Film Launch report." "Concept Idea; No Go." "Settings: Go." "Props: Go." "Female Talent: Go." "A.I. Voice Over Talent: No Go." "Script: No Go." "Production & Editing: Go." "Directing: No Go." "This is Short Film Control. We are a No Go for film launch. Abort the Launch, I repeat, abort the launch. We do not have all the required criteria to release a quality enough film to have it be entertaining, enjoyable, or even the least bit believable. Go home everyone; we are done here."

[@Smo1k]

Lines: No go.

[@marcschwarz7176]

You know what would have made this epic? If in the last 2 seconds of the film we would have gotten to hear Tuskan Raiders in the distance!

[@raomalhari13]

Wasted 12.29 minutes of my life watching this

[@raomalhari13]

@Skipping Stones what's your problem ?

[@MD-yp4qc]

It was 12 minutes & 29 seconds, not 12 point 29 seconds. 12:29 not 12.29

[@MacMic333]

Powerful , cause to reflect.