Sci-Fi Short Film: "In Suspension" | DUST

[@AmaraMesnik]

Hey! This is Amara Mesnik, writer/director of In Suspension. I'm so excited to be launching my film on Dust! No matter your stratum, feel free to leave a comment or question here :)

[@d.j.mulcahy1657]

You did a great job

[@veneraberens4653]

WELCOME TO FAMILY OF DUST WELL DONE TY FOR SHARING YOUR CREATIVE TALENT KEEP THEM COMING WE LOOK FORWARD TO MORE GREAT THINGS FROM YOU 👍🏻🙂💯🖖🏻💚

[@mr.walkerco492]

High tier work very enjoyable keep it coming 💪🏿💯🥰

[@AJ_UK_LIVE]

Fantastic work Amara - congratulations :)

[@veneraberens4653]

A MASTERFULLY CREATED FILM FOR OUR TIMES VERY BEAUTIFUL WELL DONE DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO MUCH MORE FROM YOU

[@AJ_UK_LIVE]

A genuinely fascinating idea - and none too dissimilar. Just because we are not physically invisible to one another, in some ways, we still are.

[@doeboydroid]

This comment was it

[@GirizdL]

In the Last 50 years in international sci-fi writings there is a very similar romantic story for the crowd-problem. The solution was in the novel the people separating by weekdays. The wednesdays' man wanted the Thuesdays' girl, because he fell in love with her while saw her in hibernated position. He Asked one of his friend (a doctor) to help him to bring her to wednesday-livers, but the friend asked him, to accept the thought : somebody will be deported for the girl to Thuesday, and never come back. He accepted, and after laying down, the ending is that the doctor living with the beautiful, nice woman, and the man is in Thuesday. If anybody knows the title of this novel, please, give me the reference. In my opinion there are lot of similiarities.

[@usta1796]

@@GirizdL Hi, I am quite sure that the story you remember has been written by Philip José Farmer. I read it in in a german paperback containing several really great SciFi stories from him. The title of the Story was "Die Dienstagsfrau" (Tuesday Woman). Unfortunalely I do not find the book in my shelves any more...

[@batterbury4477]

This is the type of movie that you watch several times- each time there is another meaning, each time something resonates with a question in your own life. The unfolding of the story is perfect. The writer introduces the key concept of people existing on different 'strata' and the obsessive goal of moving up to next level. I so get when Sam says to Lydia that if he can't be promoted than she could ' come down' to be with him - really great to see Lydia's reaction. interesting choice in production interiors - the blankness of Lydia's 20th century apartment, the moody 1940's noir vibe of the bar, the glass and metal of the office. Thanks& keep creating!

[@BradGryphonn]

That was brilliant work. I got sucked right down this rabbit hole and didn't want to leave. The story just pulls you in.

[@dryspellproductions]

I love this film! Best 18 minutes I've spent in weeks. Feels like a great Black Mirror episode.

[@creech444]

Interesting look at a class-based society where those "below you" literally become invisible. How different social levels live in their own world and realities. This happens today even without the PRISM. I love the idea of how a PRISM breaks down whole light into component elements, much like a whole society here is broken and separated into component elements.

[@JerseyLynne]

good comment

[@timothywilliams1359]

Wow, this actress has the kind of beauty that is truly a distraction. She's like a work of art even before she begins acting (which she does very well also).

[@woodstoney]

This was a surprisingly well done story with some minimal cast members yet the drama was very nicely displayed. Great job!!

[@MattB90]

Why you say surprisingly well done like we dont get this quality all the time from DUST

[@SynthoidSounds]

A caste system, in the upscale future tech world, defined by parallel dimensional stratum, enforced by prism. An interestingly original way to present these metaphorically contemporary concepts. "Lydia" is very well played by the astonishingly beautiful Nicole RainTeau, nicely done. Sort of a Romeo & Juliet type of ending, but the idea of overlapping parallel dimension sets as a solution for overpopulation, that is truly unique. Definitely one of the best productions yet offered by DUST. What I don't get are the dislikes(???). What, no action scenes, explosions, spaceships, aliens . . . requires actual thought and contemplation. Well, we can't have any of that sort of thing going on around here, now can we?

[@DaveH001]

I had to read all the comments to find the negative ones you mentioned. Okay, it wasn't a Transformers movie, so if that's your cup of tea this isn't going to keep you planted on the edge of your seat. All this film gives us is 18 minutes and 36 seconds of intense human interactions and it was beautifully done.

[@MaximilianoNoriega]

Sometimes I forget how importat good acting is... This is one of those shorts that remind me that.

[@KingTeddy1]

This is definitely full length motion picture worthy. It left me wanting more and it kept my attention the whole way through.

[@michaelquaid4679]

The premise is incredibly interesting. And I'm sure they did the best they could with everything else on a limited budget. It's really a shame this isn't getting more views. One of the hidden gems

[@dailycurmudgeon454]

Nice to see that the Pilot G3 pen is still a thing in the future.

[@0neIntangible]

I found this to so deep on many levels...at first I thought that it might be a story of alcohol dependence recovery as almost a third of the portrayals had some kind of booze involvement, on top of a misbegotten quest for love and belonging and acceptance...I related to all of it in such a beautifully told story...thank you.

[@thetalkingshrimp5683]

This was deep, can def be expanded on. I knew it was a dream as soon as I saw the sign that draft beers were three dollars.

[@detrajackson5992]

🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@jasongreen7860]

Lmao

[@duikmans]

You know it's a good movie when you're constantly thinking "don't do anything stupid, girl"...

[@Milayinyang]

such a beautiful story. I'm touched. Hope to see more of your brilliant work, @Amara Mesnik

[@ivanobar1]

Lydia was scheduled for a strata approval to 7, right? If the judge, strata 9, could both see and touch her (presumably a 6 could pass through a 9) then doesn’t that mean that Lydia had been approved to a higher strata. In which case, it’s a greater tragedy: Lydia thinking that her beau was not going to be approved for strata 6, and she was not going to be approved for strata 7 (her whole reason for hitting accept was so they could be together in strata 6) is a misreading of both their “worthiness” of the next strata. She is both accepting of and a product of the strata system; she just wants her beau to come-up to her “finer” strata; she approves of the hierarchy. It also seems that the strata system is artificial vice natural. Physicist speak of multiple dimensions whose inhabitants don’t interact, but there was no mention of mastering dimensions, or possibly we were just supposed to assume that. But if it was all artificial, then the hierarchical world they created to strive for is like the social structures we live in today (more-so in the past when the social strata were brutal, perceived as natural, and largely condoned). The strata in the film are more even more contained and divided, ensuring less “friction” because interaction can be completely controlled. One can remain in their strata and not be bothered by lower strata (out of sight out of mind). Maybe that is a correlate to our borders abd neighborhoods; segregation. Great film! Can easily be adapted to a full length movie. There’s a lot in this short, a full length movie could contain even more. Thanks for a great and thoughtful film.

[@R4-B10]

I don't think Lydia was necessarily approved for a higher strata. She passed through a field in the prism room similar to that at the bar. Presumably that makes all strata able to interact to prevent precisely what she was trying. So that would be why the 9 could catch her.

[@ivanobar1]

Patrik sjöström Thanks. You may be right, but then wouldn’t Lydia realize that the level 9 judge would be able to see her also. I understand that there were times that some strata could walk through others with the “walked through” strata being unaware. Maybe that’s why the loud speaker cautioned people in the office to refrain from walking through the level 9 judge. Maybe while she was in that building doing approvals the dimensions were permeable.

[@ashley2229]

@@ivanobar1 I don't think that she realized she had crossed that security line, and I don't think she really believed she would be demoted for doing what she did, which is why she went ahead and pressed accept under his picture even though she'd been caught. When she woke up she actually thought nothing had changed for her except she could now remember him. Probably they switched their places in the the system to both keep them apart as punishment for intermingling as well as a way to punish her for her brazen act. I'm kinda amazed at how naive she was being about the whole thing.

[@ivanobar1]

ashley ★ I think Lydia is an example of all of us. We belong to a social structure but we may also interact in other social structures for our own reasons. Her reason was looking for “fun” and then falling in love. Presumably the selections in her Strata did not appeal to her. But that is a no-no for the Prism system. She wasn’t a rebel, even approved of the Prism system, which now occurs to me may be a play on Prison System (Amira, writer, director, is subtle and clever) but what she wanted violated the reason for the system; to interact and fulfill all her worldly desires WITHIN her assigned system. No interaction, and very satisfied people within their Strata would ensure very little friction…and so the human population is controlled. That she behaved as she did was both foolish and fundamentally human. And, like our social structures, often there are consequences by the members of the “higher” system for breaking the rules. I hope the writer-director makes this into a full length film. Maybe then we’ll have our answers, and certainly more question.

[@coldawson8486]

Thank you for explaining Very good 👍

[@kemreaktion903]

I really liked this. There is a lot to explore for this premise and there is a lot of potential for a tv series or a full motion picture.

[@GreatGreebo]

This was an amazing story! Wow…I would watch a full length movie or even a series based on this…amazing!

[@alikigeorgiou8499]

What a fantastic but scary concept! I loved this - brilliant acting, lovely effects and heart-wrenching ending - more please!! 🥰

[@stultuses]

Awesome The story is the full feature and the effects enhance the story not distract from it like far too many sci-fi's do This could easily be turned into a series

[@MMAGamblingTips]

Straight out of the Black Mirror verse. Very good. Will need to watch again to catch the finer details but seemed like a metaphysical substrate re: our modern class based hierarchical systems.

[@timothyknox272]

Really enjoyed the love story mixed in with incredible special effects. Dreamy flow to the whole work.

[@sydecarnutz972]

Beautiful story. Great cast and production!

[@thewunder-lusters9644]

A great variation of the class system. :) ... most humans are, I think, quite happy to be in their little niche, it's the outliers, the dreamers, who just won't stay where we supposed to. :) ... nicely done.

[@bwang4005]

This needs to be a whole series

[@467-k1m]

Well done Amara! Loved it.. All the qualities in tune!! Hope to see more.

[@kevinfacey6975]

I really enjoyed this film, with the story being about people being in differing class systems.

[@kepler186f4]

A powerful, painful film... love can transcend, but impatience can derail it... a fantastic film!

[@scottjones1426]

Very nice! Excellent acting paired with an engaging plot and a twist ending to boot. What more could one ask for!

[@chrisbentleywalkingandrambling]

Brilliant on so many levels.

[@absolutpot]

Fascinating idea, really enjoyed it. This would make a great limited series.

[@d.j.mulcahy1657]

This is an incredible short film

[@einienj3281]

She got downgraded to 5, Sam went from 5 to 6, so now they are apart again.. like a dating app.. scary..

[@malcolmkogut]

Marvelous short and concept.

[@dannysolid]

Be kind to the people you meet on the way up, because you're going to meet those very same people on the way down. - Jackie Gleason

[@xavierjmj]

Lydia, a beautiful and noble one 💎

[@angel_machariel]

She made him promote despite him not having the full 100% social credit to request for a promotion. So she got demoted for this illegal act. But level 9 does not have the power to also to undo Samuel's illegal promotion?

[@CliffCoultas]

Fabulous series and prophetic!

[@antonspb8132]

Human invents new and new things making being human harder and harder. Really great idea! Nice short!

[@elithunder]

Brilliant movie!! Loved the concept and story!!

[@phenbuz]

So short time and so deep content. This is fantastic.

[@PoetDesh]

The actress is really very talented. Fantastic performance.

[@shadow2010shadow2010]

very well done good concept and well acted

[@lukrezialaval2406]

That's the 'I am a prince in Nigeria, and if you send me money I can come to you in Europe to marry you' sham, but in modern. Funny and well done.

[@the_box]

Reminds me of Philip José Farmer's "The Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World"

[@kaladarbooks1968]

Original and engaging. Well done.

[@elijahwallace1822]

The premise of separated social classes like this made me think of a story called Folding Beijing

[@JackJack25]

Outer limits good!

[@pauldavey]

I have seen sad but this takes the biscuit? Well done

[@Yaegosh]

there was a similar short story with people split to 7 groups - one for each day. A couple falls in love even without talking because they could only see other groups hibernating. Once in a lifetime you can apply to be moved to a different day. You can probably guess what happened

[@allisondennis2662]

Can you remember what it was called please ?

[@Yaegosh]

@@allisondennis2662 i think it was sth with a name of the week friday or saturday

[@BillieBoom]

No. I can’t guess what happened. Lol tell us lol

[@allisondennis2662]

thank you will find it xx

[@pontifier]

I remember this story too. The hibernation pods were called "stoners" and I thought it was really funny.

[@stevo5794]

Woah, trippy

[@ricrandmfx]

Interesting concept. Not the 1s flick I've seen of this idea but, this was well presented either way. My question: Is this basically what Suckerborgs Shmetaverse is going to be like in 5-10yrs?

[@lisanidog8178]

A class system is a class system. It’s bad and unchanged. Real or a dream.

[@kareedamm6337]

✨💚🧚💚✨ PATIENTS IS A VIRTU 💋

[@sedrickbosh6132]

Nicely done.

[@kahnfatman]

9 levels of vaccination and booster doses, baby!

[@Uluvmiswag]

It will make a great tv show. Hope u do more

[@professor_lembach]

Did I miss the part where the "parallel layers of reality" is explained? Is it an augmented reality, or different quantum states? Also, her plan was to barge into the room, and smack the accept button when the judge wasn't looking? Seriously??

[@jitkundough]

This idea was encapsulated in an old Billy Paul song, "Me and Mrs. Jones"; it's al about that forbidden thing, however it's incongruity is from the main character being too careless to be in her job.

[@HondEpic]

Well that was sad...beautiful but sad 😢

[@PossMcLeod]

She was going to press accept anyway..... *bangs head on keyboard* 😭😭😭

[@jayhansen9705]

well done.

[@d0nj03]

Yeah, this settles it. You can no longer find the good films on DUST (like this one) by the Likes/Views ratio, it's no indication of anything. Dislikes/Views was actually useful and now it's gone.

[@v4v777]

Yers.. i hate that thing too.. the dislikes were an indication...daanngg...

[@Torontian]

@@v4v777 There's a certain mod which I own that display the dislikes. Right now, there are 2.1K likes and 151 dislikes, which is moderately high for Dust.

[@Silverizael]

I'm a bit confused on how this would work for literally anyone who's married? I would presume kids automatically get promoted to the next stratum as well, but what about spouses? Especially working spouses?

[@potenstoemp]

I would say that children remain in the stratum of their parents until let's say 18, when their adult stratum is evaluated. For spouses, I would suggest that you could sync your promotion to a higher stratum so you would not lose touch with each other. Then the whole family gets promoted simultaneously.

[@ArtII2Long]

It's a brave new world indeed.

[@daevydjae]

Fantastic!

[@michaelmcdonald3275]

So original !

[@Chermtaka]

Fantastic, super sci-fi. I cannot believe I missed that very wrong auto-correct... :(

[@zethraelofteldrassil3149]

So, Lydia was downgraded and Sam upgraded?

[@MobileFilmmaking]

Yes

[@lovingmayberry307]

Yup.

[@bitkahuna]

it seems so but she might have been headed for upgrade too in which case he'd be 6 and she'd be 7 anyway, so maybe the point is you can't change your own reality no matter what.

[@raziel3726]

Another Great video 👍👍

[@pf4773]

Good actors, great production value, editing not crisp enough, too languid a pace for the basic plot: that people keep "missing each other" so no lasting connections can take place, sometimes despite our best intentions. I can't stress enough to filmmakers that if you are going to develop a short film, the ending has to really pop. I see far more short films with a good to great beginning and middle, but...then the ending seems too much either a foregone conclusion or anti-climactic. I wonder about the idea, for short filmmakers, of getting together screening audiences prior to the final cuts, to see how the audience reacts. Regardless, I so appreciate any filmmaker--it is SO difficult to put together such projects involving so many people, gear rentals, and special effects. Thanks so much.

[@wolf1963bro]

Nice!!

[@aboveaverage3748]

Good story. It's a shame she didn't realize that highjacking the promotion decision with the judge standing directly beside her would cost her a demotion at the very least. The poor, simple girl. Lol.

[@WyomingGuy876]

Holy 80s kitchen cabinets, BATMAN!

[@grammybear4226]

Big Panda Bear Hugs from a 68 yr old Grammy from Kirby, Texas, USA 🐼

[@v4v777]

Do you actually see any of the films Grammy?.. or you just come here to copy-paste your comment?

[@Jackofallthetrades]

Was this shot in the UK? It looks like the Battersea Power Station in the background during the closing scene.

[@cjhanley5096]

Life does have it's ups and downs now, doesn't it. 🙂

[@thebanon]

Perfect Ten

[@Mallory-Malkovich]

I loved this, it was really well done! But I can't help but wonder, what stops the poor people from following the rich into their homes and stealing everything? What stops the poor from watching the rich while they're in the bathroom?

[@ericswanson8894]

But who was the note actually from? She handed it to him but looked like Adam’s handwriting 😮

[@Meowbay]

So unrealistic though. Would never happen. Always surprises me how people are portrayed as if they're all limp obedient robots when something bad is about to be done to them. This is not the reality. People are agressive, obstruct, hit, kick, scream, move away, run away, and they'll never walk straight into their captivity as fearful little birds or something. And yes, that goes for women too.

[@victorserafine5984]

Looks like a comment on rationalizing inequalities in society

[@JDGTubed]

The one thing I hate about dust is that stupid subscribe voice at the end.

[@MrTaxiRob]

$3 drafts? In the future? HOW??

[@donm5354]

What does Stratum 1 look like? Maybe she will keep breaking the rules and end up there.

[@0neIntangible]

And is Stratum 10 the realm of the Prism overlords?

[@filmsmoviestvandactors219]

Just formalizing already implicit structures via technological boundaries.

[@swimfast724]

When you're so early there are no comments to explain what's going on lolol

[@bigsarge2085]

👍👍

[@arturotoscanini3833]

I got the wrong layer this morning, woke up in a 40 square foot hovel

[@LostArchivist]

Dystopia

[@gilbertwilliams7256]

Divisional social status.

[@thor8009]

Funny how you only need to mispronounce "prism" slightly and it turns into "prison" Seems fitting

[@greatreset3]

Lets go brandon! 🤦‍♀️

[@angel_machariel]

She stood him up. Isn't that foreboding?

[@MsMesmerelda]

Upper Stratus Fears

[@ProfessorJayTee]

The love story itself is good, but I didn't care much for the racial undertones--dark-skinned people mostly shown clearly sucking up to, and trying to be promoted to 'higher strata' to be with the light-skinned blonde types. There is no visible questioning of the unfair (and racist?) system, merely an attempt to manipulate it once so the two can be together.

[@Film_Addictionn]

Good observation

[@paulverlaine.007]

But we are invisible to some and them to us.

[@juliehoschler7151]

Thank youThank youThank you Thank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank you

[@lovingmayberry307]

What are you trying to say, Julie? 😉

[@DaveH001]

@@lovingmayberry307 I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I'm pretty sure Julie liked it. So did I. It's such an interesting premise to have the entire population living together at the same time but physically separated. I don't believe I have ever run across that particular scenario before. Boy do I love these imaginative filmmakers and the Dust channel for bringing their work to me.

[@Failte630]

So she got him promoted, and yet she was demoted. Is that correct?