The short film, Afronauts, is a historical science fiction movie based on the race to space that occurred in the 1960s. This film was created in 2014 and Directed by Nuotama Bodomo. The lead actress is Diandra Forrest, who plays Matha, the main character who is going to attempt to go to space on a rather makeshift shuttle. Nuotama bodomo created this movie as a senior thesis project finalizing her studies with NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film Program (Afronauts, N.D.). IMBd, a website that rates film, gives this film a 6.6/10 based on the summation of IMBd user opinions. This film was a nominee for awards like the Gold Hugo, Grand Jury Prize, Golden Berlin Bear, and Short Film Grand Jury Prize (“Afronauts”, 2014). I can agree it deserves some positive recognition even though it is apparent from the beginning Matha’s shuttle will not make it to space. Perhaps this is the point though. I found the movie showcased the drive and hope to reach space on behalf of the Zambia crew since this film was based off real efforts.
There was little dialogue throughout the duration of the film. It was only 14 minutes and the little that was said seemed to be sufficient enough given the length of the film. The whole film was also in black and white. I was a fan of this not only because of the editing abilities (I will mention in another blog) but because of the mood it created for the viewer.
The mood, created by the use of black and white, allowed me to focus on the severity of the film by lessening the distraction that would have resulted from using color. This mood was reinforced by the facial expression, or lack of, from Matha. The film made me feel like I was in the Matha’s shoes. She seemed to be distancing herself from what was going on around her and absorbed in her own thoughts. Almost like she was “spacing” out and had a lot pressure to have a successful mission.
I would give this movie a great review, numerically speaking, a 7.5/10. My only critique would be that I was originally frustrated with the lack of description and context of the setting and purpose. However, my thoughts changed on this because I think the almost haphazard planning and construction on Matha’s space launch was purposeful. The confusion I had was parallel to the confusion and failure of the Zambia mission this film was based off. Nuotama Bodomo has evident talent. This was only created before she even graduated from her art program at Tisch. If you are a movie goer that loves anticipation and interpreting meaning and intent this short film is a must watch.
References
Afronauts IMBd. (January 18, 2014). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3334028/?ref_=ttawd_awd_tt
Afronauts. (N.D.). Retrieved from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1036306318/afronauts
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