Writer-director Easton Gunnoe’s The Geneticist drops us into the kind of late-night, basement-level science where a scientist’s private experiments pose an existential question that demands an answer—whether he’s ready for it or not.
Richard (David Perez) is a driven professor of physiology. He has a major presentation approaching in a week about his work on cloning. Nothing has quite clicked in his research, but he is certain that he is on the precipice of success. At the same time, his personal life is falling apart. He might lose his position if he can’t produce results, and he might lose his friends and colleagues if he doesn’t show up for drinks.
“His obsession has led to his hidden setup at his home, where he is cultivating a human life form.”
His obsession has led to a hidden setup at home, where he is cultivating a human life form. His final step is an injection into the life form, which may be the key to creating life. But, of course, things don’t turn out as expected.
Running just under eight minutes, filmmaker Easton Gunnoe has created a truly indie sci-fi thriller. Serving as a proof-of-concept for a larger project, it’s easy to forgive Gunnoe’s makeshift lab and see the potential in the creature effects. Accompanied by these impressive props, Gunnoe makes great use of cinematography, editing, and sound design, and he gets an equally impressive performance from David Perez as our slightly mad scientist.
Easton Gunnoe’s The Geneticist serves as a tight proof-of-concept, suggesting a larger world that explores the ethics and morality of cloning. By the time it ends, the film has done its job: it leaves you with a clear sense of the story’s stakes and the scale of what a feature version could become.
"…our slightly mad scientist."
