Illegal Aliens – Short Film Review
Synopsis:
Short Film. Due to the recent arrival of undocumented immigrants, the city of Simpletown holds a special session city council meeting to determine if the town should officially ban the newcomers.
Review Summary:
This mockumentary style short film gives a brief, yet hilarious look at our society and both the irrational and rational fear of illegal immigrants.
The Good:
Dialog – The very first line in Illegal Aliens is “Build a fence!” I think this is a perfect way to describe exactly what type of film Illegal Aliens is. It summarizes its intention, what it is mocking, and they style of humor throughout.
Mockumentary Style – I am a huge fan of the mockumentary. Some feel that after The Office, Parks and Recreation, and other mockumentary style TV shows that it is a style that is now overused. I wholeheartedly disagree! In fact, I feel that Illegal Aliens fits perfectly as an episode of Parks and Rec, and I mean that in the best way possible. I think the jokes per minute and satire were just as high.
The Double Twist – It’s crazy to think that a 10 minutes film can pull off two twists, but Illegal Aliens pulls it off. I kind of expected both of them based on how the film was being presented, but I still enjoyed the way they were portrayed.
Ambiguous Side – I feel very strongly that the film was able to mock both sides of the illegal immigration argument. I feel it kind of hammered a little harder on the anti-immigration advocates, but overall it kept a pretty level balance.
The Ehh:
The length – I know this is what you get with a short film, but I really wanted to see more. I wanted to see before the film when the immigrants first arrived and then stayed after the council meeting as well. I think this is a really solid show idea if they can figure out some more scripts.
The Ugh-ly:
Nothing – The movie was overall really good and I enjoyed watching it.
Verdict:
I really liked Illegal Aliens. The style and humor was right up my alley. Now I only hope that we can see more humor like this on TV and Film that pokes fun of some of the dumb arguments that are presented in our society.
Illegal Aliens is currently making the playing in numerous indie film festivals check out Above the Line Entertainment’s Facebook and Twitter to see if it is selected at a festival near you.
