Dominant Species (2019) User Reviews

Tried dark humor, but missed

[Sexy-scientist · 5/10 · 2 July 2022]

1. It is a low budget production. All the scenes have been shot indoors in a big hall. There are 2 fight scenes in this 15 min film. One of them is skipped and the other is shown in stills. No blood shown in both of the knife scenes.

2. There was no story how the girl was recruited for practicing flirting.

3. There was a giant plot hole in the story that initially, aliens were shown to hack the brains, but later, they show that the gay guy remained gay.

4. If the aim of the aliens was to spread the seeds, why to use the body of a female?

Pedestrian yawn-fest

[I_Ailurophile · 1/10 · 1 June 2021]

So let me get this straight: We're supposed to believe that extraterrestrial entities are capable of interstellar travel, but the best method they have for learning about other species is limited, piecemeal instruction as though of newborn children?

I think 'Dominant species' believes itself to have something profound to say about ... well, something. But it's not funny, thought-provoking, or engaging in any way. It's boring at best, if not tedious and even annoying.

There is a hint - a miniscule hint, virtually undetectable, at the very end - of a statement about the nature of gender as a social construct. But it really feels like this short doesn't actually know what it wants to say about gender. It's like a young schoolchild raising their hand in class to make a one-word exclamation of a topic, but they don't know anything about it or have anything further to say - they just uttered the word because they heard it, without context, and thought it might be important.

Beyond that, the only other thing there is to say is that 'Dominant species' is ever more difficult to invest ourselves in when the only elements about it that seems at all out of the ordinary are the glowing blue lights and the fragmented communication with a higher alien authority, especially through non-human language. Otherwise, we could easily mistake this for a realist short about 10 normal, layabout adult men belatedly learning rudimentary social skills, and knowledge about the world outside of themselves, for the first time.

This was a waste of 19 minutes.

a parable

[Kirpianuscus · 11 July 2020]

It reminds the Illuministic literature about the other. Like it, it represents a definition of mankind. In precise traces . From obedience, learning to independent spirit and punishment. A film about human been and about connection with near reality.Admirable the job of Julian Cihi. And great realistic way to say fundamental things defining the viewers.

Interesting but not really engaging due to not doing enough with it

[bob the moo · 25 August 2020]

A group of alien energies come to Earth and inhabit male human forms. Under the guidance of an unseen mentor they learn how to be "male" in order to be able to successfully impregnate women.

There are clever ideas in here, and they are wrapped up in sci0fi oddity and dark humour - all done in a way that should result in a better whole. Unfortunately that doesn't come and it fells like all the creativity in framing, design, and concept, didn't make it through into the specific writing. The narrative as a result feels like reasonably obvious 'men are like x' jokes, some of which are good, but all of which are fairly straightforward. This prevents building within the film, and keeps the viewer in the moment - which is mostly an okay place to be, but doesn't draw in and engage. It isn't helped that the conclusion feels too obvious and 'of the moment' and lacks any emotional heft to help it

As a 'festival short' it probably worked better due to how smart it looks in design and concept, and how it tackles gender issues - however as a casual viewer, I didn't think it made the most of its strengths, and as it went on the lack of building started to have consequences.