Project Dorothy (2023) Film Review
George Henry Horton‘s approach of a “technological thriller,” Project Dorothy is a curious case of a genre film based on absolute balance. Horton, who co-writes the film with Ryan Scaringe, knows his boundaries associated with the rules of indie cinema, and still manages to make a smart film out of his limited resources. It’s not a perfect thriller, but it’s exciting enough to catch your attention for a little more than 70 minutes. The best of all? Project Dorothy lands on your lap during times where our relationship with technology must be addressed, taken care of, and possibly analyzed for the sake of a better future.
In the film, Blake and James are thieves running from law enforcement agencies. Their destination is uncertain, but they make it to a compound that’s seemingly abandoned. When they break in, everything’s deserted. It all seems ideal until the two men realize there may be something watching in the cameras. But it’s not what you think. It’s actually Dorothy, an A.I. entity that has taken over the facility from every single perspective. James and Blake find some clues about the past, and what happened when Dorothy was “released.” However, when they realize how powerful it is, it may be too late.
Void of any logic, but compensating with a clever treatment of the antagonist entity, Project Dorothy is a two-man show that works if you connect with its characters and willingly accompany them on their ride. It’s not as compelling as I hoped for because there’s not much of a backstory here but performers Adam Budron and Tim DeZarn are good enough to form strong arcs around their primary motivations. These guys simply hope to survive, and will do anything to try it. Even fight against an organism that’s much powerful than their puny selves. Dorothy (Danielle Harris in a voice-only performance) discovers that exercising power is simply more fun, and the artificial intelligence program has enough of an emotion to show a hint of excitement when it learns about the internet. Very cool moment.
The questions you’ll have in the end are expected. Where is everyone? How did Dorothy get rid of absolutely everything? Apparently, someone on the outside knows that there’s some thing capable to killing inside the faciliy, and thus, warns police to stay away. This solves an issue with the plot’s logic, and minimal amount of characters in the film, but it’s still important to know more about the past. In an extended version, this could be addressed, but Project Dorothy doesn’t look like a proof-of-concept film. Perhaps we’ll have to wait for Horton and Scaringe’s next film under their production company Kinogo.
Project Dorothy is exciting when it has to be and contemplative in its calm moments. For a film with such a small production value, the result is pretty awesome. It doesn’t jump to unnecessary plot devices to show a specific skill by the director, and most of the film revolves around a primal sense of survival, a theme that’s always relevant. The best thing about it? That superb introduction to the film, that using no dialogue manages to clearly explain the terror of Dorothy’s shenanigans when it became sentient.
