Quanta (2019)

Quanta: Directed by Nathan Dalton. With Don Bridges, Paul Dawber, Boris Granolic, Elyssia Koulouris. A physicist’s life-long work comes to fruition when he is reluctantly partnered with a gifted young assistant. Ego divides them when they receive an unknown signal from space.

“This oneu0026#39;s a mashup of u0026quot;Flowers for Algernonu0026quot; (Daniel Keyes, 1958) and u0026quot;Contactu0026quot; (Carl Sagan, 1985). Although itu0026#39;s derivative, the combo is really something fresh and new. Nathan Dalton manages to create a compelling story by taking elements of those two old science fiction classics and weaving them into a film that keeps you glued to the screen. Thereu0026#39;s real character development, plenty of clues to help the audience follow the plot, and lots of techno speak thatu0026#39;s actually consistent with known science. (Although the idea of u0026quot;radiationu0026quot; from u0026quot;darku0026quot; matter is somewhat of an oxymoron.) There are a few other instances of creative license, but for the most part itu0026#39;s believable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe part where it departs from reality is in the motivations and behaviors of the characters. They seem to make unnatural decisions at times and donu0026#39;t always act like real people. But itu0026#39;s not uncommon in film to bend character behavior to advance the plot, so you just suspend disbelief and enjoy the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe sound track was great. It set the mood and really helped provide clues about the plot and the emotions of the characters. The cinematography was likewise supportive of the moods and plot and didnu0026#39;t overpower the action happening on the screen. The acting performances, from relatively unknown actors, was superb. All these elements in the final product (with an insanely tiny budget) point to an extremely competent director whom Iu0026#39;m sure we have not heard the last of.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall, a great film if you are looking for a character-driven drama/scifi with lots of thought-provoking dialogue and you donu0026#39;t care about tons of special effects and starship shootouts.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTriggers: brief headline text ~80wpm, one subtle and minor ethnic reference”