The Intextigator Review

The Intextigator is a 2020 short film written and directed by John Babu.

In what almost feels like a concept for a lost episode of Black Mirror the short film The Intextigator brings about some interesting ideas but is slightly let down by a few strange musical choices.

The main drawback for the film throughout watching was the in and out score used. It was a fitting element but jumping in and out of place for almost no reason left a few jarring moments. With that having an ending that was a little too over the top in melodrama was a nice thought on paper but just didn’t land all that well.

The short is at its best when we are absorbed in the phone conversation with nothing but the sounds of messaging. The interplay between the Sherlock AI and Liz is great and there is built in tension throughout. The eerie atmosphere of only typing to break the silence just adds to the pacing of the piece. Letting moments like this breathe more would have helped really build up to the conclusion.

Keeping it spoiler free of course the ending was not at all the most surprising thing but it was still a solid way to end the piece.

Even though there were some issues at play here there was still a lot of great concepts at work. The plot felt very believable and with some expansion could make for a really interesting film. There is even enough to jump off for the possibility of a feature film perhaps too. John Babu has brought some interesting thoughts to the table which is great.

Even despite some of the points mentioned before there is still plenty of reason to check this short film out. It took a minute to grow on me here but as it did, I found myself engaged and enthralled. It is cool to see some solid experimentation not only with technology but also the way the medium of film can be told. Definitely worth checking out.

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Cheers!

Daniel Hess

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