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★
Directed by: #MunnoDomenicoDamiano
Written by: #MunnoDomenicoDamiano
Starring: #AndreaGiaretta, #GiulioGarravelli, #ValentinaBronzi
From its title and opening imagery, it seems pretty obvious what angle God Corporation is going for, but not much is done to make it a compelling one. Writer-director Munno Domenico Damiano explores themes of human behaviour and free will through a science fiction narrative of a man awaking on a planet and then being subjected to a series of tests with other subjects. Damiano’s clear intention is to explore ideas of creationism through this lens of sinister machinations. Whatever enterprise this God Corporation may be, they don’t seem to create life for any altruistic purposes.
Specimen 56 portrayed by Andrea Giaretta is the protagonist, focused on his experiences within the tests. In the two “collaboration tests” with Specimen 79 and then Specimen 103, these scenes have the characters in a room interacting with one another. Typical short film convention, but the dialogue and performance don’t make any of it engaging. God Corporation lacks gripping world-building and an appetite to make audiences eager to learn about it, with nothing about Damiano’s vision feels unique or worthwhile in exploring. The initial concept, which is merely teased upon in the final shots as some big twist, just remains underwhelming as it's made glaringly obvious from the beginning. Performances glide between overly dramatic or stilted, making it a struggle to retain any information given through the dialogue.
Damiano and cinematographer Andrea Bonetti don’t do themselves favours in how they present this world, despite opening in the vast wilderness, mountains and lush forests, the colour grade makes it all look cheap. Harsh oversaturated images to give the feeling of an “alien” world gives the wrong impression and make the whole production value diminish. Continued only by the poor quality of the sets that the “tests” take place in empty rooms with minimal designs, not at all conveying the scale of operation this God Corporation seems to be capable of. While budget probably holds back the scale of its visual science fiction (or probably just used exclusively for the final shot) Damiano doesn’t have the script or skill to elevate his film from these limitations. Peppered with minor issues from poor audio mixing to harsh lighting and grading, God Corporation lacks the charm of typical low budget filmmaking. Without captivating characters or tension, everything about the film easily fades to the mundane, leaving no impact in its short runtime.
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