Donus Review

Donus is a 2019 short film directed by Eldar Bora.

A sci-fi epic in scope that isn’t able to quite find cohesion in its plot pieces, Donus looks the part, but could have used a more focused story.

Watching this short film, you can certainly see a strong showcase for a team that is experimenting and learning a lot with graphics in film. The opening shot alone really sets a strong bar for what these creators can do even at an indie budget level.

Where things are lacking though are with the human characters of the story. There isn’t too much depth put on any single person and having so many side characters all pushed into a short doesn’t help that at all.

The elements that work though work really well. There are some beautiful shots, especially when the film goes big. Some of the wide shots are gorgeous and truly exemplify that feeling of large-scale grandiosity.

The context of it all feels hollow though and nothing really feels earned here. Even by the end when we have a large reveal moment, that looks amazing but doesn’t really deliver though thanks to that barrier given to any characters.

It feels more like a part of something larger or more serialized rather than a singular narrative. While the ambition is nice to take in, there just needed to be a lot more done with our plot.

Donus is certainly a feast for the eyes but one that is a strong viewing experience in that alone. Too many disposable characters and a plot too big for the short run time definitely hold it back. It is nice though that what is on screen is really quite a feat.

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Cheers!

Daniel Hess

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