Short Film from director Patrick Ryder
Starring Christie Luke-Jones, Sian Abrahams & Sharon Lawrence.
"The Time-Traveller's Strife"
A thought-provoking and beauitfully-shot short drama from Patrick Ryder, that explores the depths of fate and its complex relationship with love.
With a gorgeous opening, using natural shots accompanied by an emotional score, B4 looks to be a wild contrast to the sterile feel that the name suggests. The story, however, is science fiction, offering up a Matrix-style connundrem: what is our reality?
Enter Rupert Shaw (Christie-Luke Jones), a broken and defeated man who is living a fraction of his life after the death of his wife Amanda (Sian Abrahams) several years before. Out of the blue, Rupert is contacted by a mysterious voice (over the phone – not some floating vocal spirit) who offers our protagonist the chance to be with Amanda again...if only he will inject himself with a drug.
Desperate for the chance to be reuinited with his lost love, Rupert jacks up and enters what he first believes to be a hallucination, where he is with his beloved Amanda again. However, after being brought back to reality and questioning the Voice, he discovers this is not the first time this has happened.
An intriguing story, beautifully filmed and with a very impressive soundtrack, B4 is a thought-provoking science-fiction short that has all the trappings of a powerhouse film...apart from the performances. Unfortunately the script reads likes an amateur play, with the key players phoning it in – literally in some cases! Jones' lead lacks conviction and the voice on the end of the phone needed far more menace and presence.
That being said, Sharon Lawrence, who plays Dr Sanders does a commendable job of bringing some life to the show.
Ryder's techinical abilities are undeniable, creating a myriad of absorbing scenes that fluctuate in pace but not in effect, even throwing in some lens flare for good measure! Furthermore, this is Ryder's story – boldly trampling into heavy themes of love, time, and fate, without any hesitation. Proving more and more that he is a very relevant filmmaker in the industry at the moment.
Overall, B4 is a beautiful and engrossing science-fiction drama. It boldy goes where others have before, but does so with confidence and style. With a little more attention to the script and getting a little more out of the actors, Ryder could have brought us the film B4 he makes it.
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