The Nostalgist a science fiction short film
In the futuristic city of Vanille, with properly tuned ImmerSyst Eyes & Ears the world can look and sound like a paradise. But the life of a father and his young son threatens to disintegrate when the father’s device begins to fail. Desperate to avoid facing his traumatic reality, the man must venture outside to find a replacement, into a city where violence and danger lurk beneath a beautiful but fragile veneer…
“The life of every human being is a collection of memories. Can we trick ourselves by pretending something never happened? Can we relieve ourselves of the weight of the past through our sense of nostalgia? These for me are the two main questions raised by Daniel’s short story. These are the questions that drove me in adapting the story as a short film. Questions that now are even more relevant with the VR revolution happening as we speak.”
While The Nostalgist was crafted prior to VR’s sudden rise to the mainstream, it does feel incredibly prescient right now, almost as if the creators unwittingly tapped into our current fascination. While this is certainly not the only big budget sci-fi short we’ve seen tackle the concept of virtual reality, we liked how the film balances both its emotional core with all the eye candy. Granted, we think the short overreaches at times—some of those emotional moments feel a bit forced and don’t land. But, in an arena where so many high caliber short special effects films lack soul, we admire Cimini and his crew for at least reaching into those depths.
