One Man’s Land

Director Chris Vallone’s One Man’s Land centers on the critical role Indigenous soldiers have played in military operations and world wars for centuries, yet their contributions remain largely forgotten by history. This 20-minute WWI short puts that legacy at the forefront through the story of a sniper pushed to his absolute limits.

Francis Pegahmagabow, an Ojibwe soldier from the Parry Island Band, moves through the fog of World War I’s No Man’s Land like a ghost. His unit is dug into the trenches, ammunition nearly spent, men wounded and waiting. The commander has one card left to play, and it’s Ghost. With nothing but his rifle and the skills he learned hunting before the war, Francis crawls out alone into a trench between the Allies and Central Powers. He is the deadliest sniper of the First World War.

He moves from position to position, firing methodically, each shot precise and deliberate. The enemy has no chance, but they keep coming. His ammunition runs dry. Surrounded and cornered in an enemy trench, Francis has nothing left but his tomahawk and the duty to serve, knowing that surrender means his unit dies.

Chris Vallone came to this story wanting to do something different with military stories. He zeroed in on isolation—the mental weight of being alone in a place where survival depends on patience, silence, and every move counting. He was drawn to the legacy of Indigenous snipers like Francis Pegahmagabow, as a way to honor Indigenous soldiers who stepped up to the challenge of freedom and sacrificed much for future generations.

“…Francis has nothing left but his tomahawk and the duty to serve, knowing that surrender means his unit dies…”

I’m pretty impressed with the AI in One Man’s Land. Once you start seeing men on the battlefield, it’s obvious this short is entirely AI. But what impresses me most is the integrity of the characters. Pegahmagabow looks exactly the same at the beginning as he does at the end. Also, the image details are pretty impressive. There are close-ups of Pegahmagabow, and the facial and gun details are spot-on. But again, no one will be fooled that this is AI-generated… even with the post-credit scenes… nice touch.

What isn’t AI-generated is the story, and filmmaker Vallone brings an indie sensibility to One Man’s Land. He’s not trying to create an epic battle scene, but keeps the action tight as if you’re in the trenches. The first half of the film features Pegahmagabow as an accomplished sniper, and then we turn to hand-to-hand combat with a tomahawk in tow. These fight scenes looked real and really gory, too.

I hate that One Man’s Land is practically the next step to creating an entire feature through artificial intelligence. But I have to call balls and strikes here; this is a good-looking film with a solid story to back it up. The question is, watching AI for twenty minutes is one thing, but can we go a full ninety minutes?

For screening information, visit the One Man’s Land official website.