A stranger interrupts your daily routine, knowing where your life is headed before you do. In Jordan K. Paul‘s sci-fi short Peace by Piece, one ordinary guy gets a glimpse of his future, whether he wants it or not.
Jeremy Fredericks (Jordan K. Paul) is simply trying to enjoy a walk in the park. This moment of peace is quickly broken by a stranger, Martin (Dante Rossi), who starts following Jeremy and then chatting with him like they know one another. Martin is a bit off. His speech is erratic; he knows personal things about Jeremy, asks probing, intrusive questions, and dodges every attempt Jeremy makes to figure out who he is. Then there’s the small, cloaked, autonomous drone hovering nearby, recording Jeremy’s every move.
Jeremy Fredericks (Jordan K. Paul) raises a hand to stop Martin at a park basketball court in Peace by Piece.
“Then there’s the small, cloaked, autonomous drone hovering nearby, recording Jeremy’s every move.”
The mood shifts when Martin hints at something that hasn’t happened in Jeremy’s life yet. Jeremy has had enough and demands to know who Martin is. Weirdly, Martin explains he’s an actor from the future doing research for a role he’s about to play… and that role is Jeremy.
One of the many things I like about short films is that they let emerging filmmakers develop an idea and explore it in a compact format. What a great idea: an actor from the future researching his next role. So why not travel to the past, conduct primary research, and see how it plays out? Great premise, great execution, and a dark ending, too.
Over the course of 11 minutes, Jordan K. Paul runs with the idea and pieces together a clever, solid sci-fi short. He writes, directs, and stars, handling all three well, and if he can do this much with two guys in a park, I want to see what he does with a feature.
For screening information, visit the Peace by Piece official website.
"…Martin explains he’s an actor from the future… and that role is Jeremy."
