Ellipse

It’s one small step for man, one giant leap for man’s best friend in this film. Ellipse, directed by Joe Bland and Grant Martin, is the futuristic story of a man (Grant Martin) and his dog (Jack William) as they struggle to survive on a mysterious planetoid and find a way back to their crashed spaceship. Exploring themes of loss, sacrifice, the will to carry on in the face of tragedy. 

This film strikes a charming balance between “tongue in cheek” and sincerely touching, in a way few Hollywood movies can accomplish. Grant Martin’s rang as an actor is impressive. Few people can be effective comedic and dramatic performers in different movies, let alone the same one, and Martin executes his scenes with apparent ease. And Jack as the dog Mac, well he is a very good boy! 

“…a man and his dog as they struggle to survive on a mysterious planetoid…”

The camera work is clever in how it establishes a dramatic atmosphere and the shared hardship between man and dog. And the score is beautiful and almost seems too good for the movie it’s in. This is not meant as a criticism, as the only real detraction to be made about this movie is its evident limits in funding. Yet even with what little they had, they composed a touching and satisfying film. 

Yet the writing and how it makes its way to the screen eclipses all. You can see the subtleties of the script make its way to the screen in the occurrence of events and their subtle and impossible to predict foreshadowing of future pay off. I was impressed by just how much information was conveyed nonverbally. This movie was a labor of love, and it shows in its story. 

At its core, this is a tale about perseverance in the face of adversity and reinforcing the sacred bond with our canine comrades. Cleverly all you really need to know about the story is in the title, “ellipse”; ellipsis, the dot dot dot marking the ambiguous end… or preceding a new beginning. If you love science fiction and/or dogs, then this is most certainly a movie for you.