To Err Short Film Review

★★★★

Directed by: #NanciCruz

Starring: #GabrielleRosson, #LizBishop, #JacleneLondon

Short Film Review by: Alexandra James

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Nanci Cruz director of To Err, explores the fascinating and endless fields of space and time and humans need to search, discover, and ponder over the possibilities that it entails. This short is a moving story about Noelle, an engineer who forms an unlikely friendship with a satellite system on a mission to discover the furthest reaches of space in search for black holes for observation. Kiara is an AI satellite so the bond between the two seems extremely out of the ordinary. However, in a world now where we are constantly surrounded by technology and can speak with devices for numerous answers, it cannot be considered completely far from the realities of today. The film focuses on what it means to be human and that question ‘why?’ Why do we feel this need to constantly be searching for an answer, our curiosities have often led us to discover wonderous things but have also led to some devastating consequences.

To Err was driven primarily through the voices of Noelle and the satellite Kiara. The film was lacking in terms of its visual aspect; however, this isn’t a negative trait as the sound of both Noelle and Kiara’s voice were hypnotic, especially when coupled with the background music. Both voices combined were so clear and poignant, it completely carried you away on a journey to outer space and this was key because rather than being distracted by constant visuals on screen, you are forced to focus and listen to the questions the two characters discuss and analyse. Nevertheless, the small snippets of our protagonist Noelle that we did see was filled with emotion and did help to break up the narrative. Perhaps more shots of our central character would have benefited this piece so that we can remain fully engaged throughout.

Nanci Cruz uses archive footage of the NASA mission launches which really echoes this sense of achievement. Humans have been able to overcome so many challenges and obstacles our curiosity know no bounds and because of this, we have been able to explore and uncover the history of our planet and intricate details of our solar system. However, as To Err portrays, the answers we discover is never enough, our constant need to question why, will never be fulfilled because there is always more to be questioned in life and far more to explore which is beyond our capabilities. Yet, this will never deter humans from searching for these answers it is a curse but also a positive attribute all wrapped in one.

To Err is a captivating short film seeking to ask that question ‘why?’ and leaves the story open for the audience to answer this for themselves. Nanci Cruz has created a truly beautiful story which highlights some of humanities greatest achievements but also reflects this idea that humans can still make mistakes and combines both science and sentiment together for one great short narrative.