Director: Marianna Dean
Writer: Simon X. Frederick
Stars: Zoe Cunningham, James Cosmo, Eloise Lovell Anderson
Synopsis: To join the elite ATIC Guard, Alana Toro must stop a simulated terrorist attack, but every attempt takes her further from the sanctioned solution.
Low-budget sci-fi films are hard to get just right. There’s a sense of escapism into an altered reality that needs to come across for audiences. For films that can’t rely on heavy amounts of CGI or VFX work, like Voidance, they must instead focus on its story. What starts as a charming murder mystery in the far reaches of the galaxy evolves into a time-traveling test of morals. Although it doesn’t all completely work, Marianna Dean’s newest film shows a director with a clear love of the genre.
Voidance takes place deep in space where two planets, Atopia and Cho-Hacha, are at each other’s throats. Terror is running rampant, and Atopian-born Alana Toro (Zoe Cunningham) is well on her way to becoming an ATIC agent. One final challenge stands between her and becoming a member of a prestigious group of guards. Though their popularity among civilians is murky. Alana needs to finish a simulated terrorist attack, where the reset button is limited, and the stakes are high.
What makes Voidance interesting at first is the use of a reset device that Alana wears. Showing how many chances she has left in order to pass, and allowing her to communicate with those watching her progress. While her mission first turns into finding a missing ship, it quickly evolves into Alana trying to save as many lives as possible, even when it costs her a reset. Unfortunately, it becomes overly repetitive, especially near the end of the film, the dialogue-heavy moments hold the film back more than they push along the story.
Alana does a lot of interviewing throughout the first run-throughs of her mission. Looking for truck drivers with information on the missing ship, she finds a murder that has happened on the ship. Each time she tries to stop it from happening, she fails, finding a new item of information each time. It’s a neat way to unravel a murder, and audiences get to meet numerous different characters along the way. Like Fir Jie (Mim Shaikh), a karaoke-loving nervous wreck, or Ede (Eloise Lovell Anderson), a barfly with a mysterious side. Each of these side characters doesn’t remember Alana after each reset, leading to some hilarious interactions fueled by her frustration.
From a style standpoint, Voidance is going for a look that’s stylish but not over-the-top. For the wardrobe, it works, but the set design suffers. Alana wears a black leather jacket with loose-fitting pants tucked into boots. Her hair is right above her shoulders with baby bangs. This gives her a slight officer look while still allowing her to blend in with others around her. Sets are bare minimum and show the confined spaces each room on this vast ship is. The bar is shown the most, with cool lighting and tables and chairs littering the area. Though doorways flash with light when in use, there’s not much to show that these people are in a sci-fi environment. Each area Alana finds herself in looks too similar to the last to feel fully immersed in the story.
Voidance has a villain problem; mostly because it has such a relatable theme, of not trusting the people in power. ATIC officers aren’t looked upon well in everyone’s eyes, mainly due to their being connected to those who rule over them. When the film focuses on Alana investigating that avenue, it’s at its best, but it doesn’t last nearly long enough. Choosing to spend a large amount of the time on two gunmen that caused chaos over Alana’s several attempts to beat her trial. This makes audiences sit through their moments over and over, even recapping afterwards.
Cunningham’s performance is the most memorable aspect of Voidance, even if her blaster use doesn’t come off completely believable. Arguably, her fish-out-of-water gestures make her mindset of saving as many lives as possible admirable. She comes across as a regular woman who has an interest in problem-solving, who just so happened to get recruited into essentially the CIA. She gives Alana a human aspect, using nearly all her chances to pass just to make sure she doesn’t miss an opportunity to save someone.
Dean directs Voidance well and shows a clear love for the genre she’s working in. It has a distinct style that reminded me of films like 1997’s Cube, where the entire film takes place in limited spaces. It focuses more on the reactions to danger than the danger itself, where each side eye or smirk is noted. Not all the pieces come together, but for a director early in their promising career, Dean shows a clear vision.
For all of its aspirations, Voidance falls above more average small-budget sci-fi films. The ideas may be larger than its pockets, but there’s incredible promise behind the camera. Its glaringly topical theme of questioning those in power makes it an entertaining murder mystery in space with a charming lead performance. Dean leaves her work open for a sequel, which sounds interesting on paper.
Voidance celebrated its European Premiere at Sci-Fi-London-Film-Festival on May 17th, and will be available on Digital Platforms from May 25th.
