On day 12 of being stranded in an escape pod after an attack in deep space, a young girl (Jeliza Zapanta) is completely alone. The pod keeps her alive, but power levels are gradually dropping, as are food and oxygen supplies. But it’s the silence and isolation that provide their own kind of torture. She’s bored, she’s scared, and all she wants is her father. Thinking of him reminds her that hope is all she has to hold onto.
Then things get worse. A solar flare closes in, and the shields are not activating. Can our young heroine put everything her father told her into practice and survive another day?
“She’s bored, she’s scared, and all she wants is her father.”
Sure, we’ve had the trapped-in-space story before, and it’s been done well. But what’s unique about director Clarito Zapanta is that he puts a little girl at the center of it. I don’t necessarily love watching kids in danger, but Zapanta uses that discomfort to deliver a broader message. He keeps the tone light while keeping the stakes real. That’s a tough balance to keep, and he nails it. I also love the ship’s low-budget production values. He just adds enough spaceship stuff to make the set look like an escape pod.
Jeliza Zapanta gives a sweet but harrowing performance. She gets the tone right. She’s scared but not melting down, bored but looking for ways to not obsess about her situation. Yet, what also comes through is how much her father’s absence weighs on her. Pop Pop’s (Justin P. Slaughter) voice is her north star. A Light In The Ether makes the case that a father’s role in a child’s life is to offer inspiration, guidance, and hope. It’s the lesson that as parents, we give our children more than food and shelter — we give them the skills to overcome life’s adversities.
For screening information, visit the A Light In The Ether official website.
"…we give our children more than food and shelter — we give them the skills to overcome life's adversities. "
