Lunopolis
If ever there was a movie that could be viewed as having the potential for instant cult classic status, that movie is LUNOPOLIS. This film, directed by Matthew Avant is a good example of the cinema verité style, and an exercise in world building that even experienced science fiction writers could take a cue from. LUNOPOLIS seems to poke fun at contemporary society and crazy cults (particularly one popular litigious “religion”) while at the same time providing an engaging and entertaining plot in the guise of a documentary.
There are a couple small nitpicks about this movie. Towards the end the use of interview and other “found footage” gets a little excessive, and a few of the effects seem to fall a little flat (to be fair this was only after viewing the movie about 3 times where the little details tended to stand out a little more). Other than that, the acting comes off very naturally, and the number of props in this film are astounding, even if they’re just pieces of paper that the key players are interacting with. The only reason this film hasn’t already become the next BLAIR WITCH PROJECT or PARANORMAL ACTIVITY has to be purely because the filmmaker isn’t marketing it right, or able to somehow connect this film with an audience. The amount of possible transmedia opportunities that are available with this movie are endless if the filmmaker was able to get something done on that front. Maybe there is something in the pipeline we’re not aware of yet though, or maybe this is the type of film that needs to be “discovered” naturally, and by the right people.
To put it bluntly, this film is about people from the future that are living on the moon, the conspiracy keeping them hidden, and the filmmakers that seem to have stumbled upon the secret to time travel, the moon people, and the end of the world as they know it. Confused yet? Even when you read the synopsis of this movie directly from their IMDB page, while it reads simpler, doesn’t really tell you anything of what this film is REALLY about.
This film definitely puts its trust in its audience to digest and intellectualize this movie for themselves, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Rather than relying on cheap gimmicks or fast cuts with pulse pounding action, this film builds and builds, with small, punctuated events that draw you further into the world these characters inhabit. One thing that was really impressive that is generally not found in movies that maintain the cinema verité appearance was the use of a score and music throughout, which is blended well and somewhat takes you by surprise.
LUNOPOLIS is definitely a contender with movies of its ilk, it just needs a little more push from its creator to be fully realized in the real world.
