Lawmaker Dissent

In Lawmaker Dissent, the governments of the world send a hyper-intelligent savant named Nanya (Heather Frederick) to represent humanity in engaging a non-human alien judge (Amariah Dionne), who was sent to decide the fate of the human race. The judge is an impossibly perfect super-human, impervious to human weapons or medical instruments. The film opens with a zoom call introducing Nanya to the task at hand. Her selection is contentious among the collected world leaders on the call, but she proceeds regardless.

Initially Nanya believes her role is to interrogate the judge. She quickly discovers that she is not questioning the judge, but rather that the judge is seeking to weigh evidence to decide whether to allow humanity to continue to exist. The judge asks for a Chinese representative named Li Lin (Yixuan Kat Shi) to assist her in assessing humanity. When Li Lin arrives she engages the judge to defend humanity on a moral basis. The judge shows no compassion for humanity, and is repulsed by our destructive and careless narcissism in our treatment of each other over history. She is only engaging the human representatives as a matter of protocol that must be followed, simply ticking the box, and fully intends to destroy the species. 

Despite the short 50 minute runtime, the film is a slog. The dialogue between the judge and the humans is stilted and slow to reveal necessary exposition, with monotonous, flat performances. The motivation and origin of the judge is never shared. The nature of the protocol used to assess and punish humans is never detailed. The production value is minimal, with fixed camera shots of bland backgrounds, and no soundtrack.

Director / writer Von Krome creates films meant to have socially redeeming value, describing Lawmaker Dissent as a  “…drama that is relevant to the deteriorating state of the human race in modern times. It is a thought-provoking view of the human condition that pokes fun at how we look at ourselves and our fellow man.”

While the concept is well meaning, the message of the judge is preachy and sanctimonious. The idea of humans judged by superior intelligences is an old one, going back to at least the mid 1950s with Polish writer Stanslaw Lem’s The Eighth Voyage of his Star Diaries collection. Lawmaker Dissent  is a reminder that humanity is failing in our regard for one another, and for that alone, is worth your hour to watch.