• Indie Shorts Mag Radio
  • Indie Short Mag TV
Indie Shorts Mag
  • Home
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Hall of Fame
  • Short Film Festival – 2023
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Submit Short Film
    • Submit Short Film for Review
    • Submit Web Series for Review
    • Interview Submission Form
No Result
View All Result
Indie Shorts Mag
  • Home
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Hall of Fame
  • Short Film Festival – 2023
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Submit Short Film
    • Submit Short Film for Review
    • Submit Web Series for Review
    • Interview Submission Form
No Result
View All Result
Indie Shorts Mag
No Result
View All Result

A Helical: An Experimental Sci-Fi Entrenched In Philosophy

Sristi Gayen by Sristi Gayen
23 May 2020
in Reviews
0
A Helical - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Marcus McMahon starts out by hooking the audience in with the very title graphics of his 30-minute sci-fi A Helical. Which then progresses to graphics in the 80s and 90s style: chunky, pronounced shapes and bold colours. And enter our protagonist, A Helical, played by McMahon.

This is an experimental film, and A Helical is made of patterns, and his world is made of patterns and that world is his inner world, his own mind that beckons both him and the audience to explore it. When we first see him in human form, his surroundings are oddly out of scale. The platform he stands on when we are first introduced to him in his human form, dominates the landscape; the trees look both larger and smaller in comparison than they should be. Amidst this, A Helical is tiny. The dated look makes itself a characteristic presence of the film through his attire, blue blazer, beige turtleneck and all.

A Helical - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

His journey leads him first to a giant floating head (voiced by Keith Chanter), as though severed from a statue. The CGI is unavoidably bad. It is at this point that A Helical realises that this is his journey into his own mind, that he has been here before but now, he’s going deeper in than ever before. Shots are kept interminably long, perhaps to give audiences the time to mull over the events. The whole stretches of mindless nothings start to take a toll even if there is a lot to think about. The next characters A Helical meets get stranger and stranger still. With the addition of its score, the film is intense and often deeply uncomfortable, making the audience desperate for release.

To be sure, the environment McMahon builds is expertly crafted, and elicits just the right kind of reaction from niche audiences. And for the rest, even if not all of the film presents itself neatly dissectable, it is a lingering experience, inviting multiple views. And viewpoints.

A Helical - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
#ShortFilmReview: We set our own course. Click To Tweet

Watch A Helical Short Film

A Helical: An Experimental Sci-Fi Entrenched In Philosophy
  • Direction
  • Cinematography
  • Screenplay
  • Editing
  • Music
4.7
Tags: ReviewShort Film Reviews
Previous Post

Furthest From: What A Good Screenplay Can Do

Next Post

Unseen: A Timely Pandemic Sci-Fi

Sristi Gayen

Sristi Gayen

Related Posts

Maladjustment - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

Maladjustment: The Horrors in Lived Experience

7th November 2023
The Cook - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

The Cook: Basking in the Joy of Transferable Skills and Finding Your Calling

31st October 2023
Next Post
Unseen - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Unseen: A Timely Pandemic Sci-Fi

Comments 0

  1. Pingback: Editor's Picks: 2020's Flashback In One Go! - Indie Shorts Mag

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Sponsored

Advertise Here

Featured Post

Announcing Indie Shorts Mag Short Film Festival(ISMSFF) 2023

Announcing Indie Shorts Mag Short Film Festival(ISMSFF) 2023

Latest Podcast

  • Recent Reviews

About Indie Shorts Mag

Indie Shorts Mag is a publishing agency that works within the ‘short film circuit’. We review short films, documentaries, music videos and web series, amongst others. We stand out amongst the short film review sites for being multi-diverse & global in our platform and reach.
Our team works tirelessly to help promote, publicize and market your short films that deserve the shout-out! Besides reviews, we host film festival news as it’s a known fact that the film festival buzz is unmissable and we ensure you aren’t left behind!
We aspire to form a niche for ourselves as the ‘short film magazine’ that remains the hub for filmmakers & their audience.

Popular Topics

  • Announcements
  • Articles
  • Crowdfunding
  • Editorial
  • Film Festival News
  • Film Festivals
  • India Edition
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • Marketing
  • News
  • Online Premiere
  • Post-Production
  • Pre-Production
  • Reviews
  • Short Film
  • Short Film Competition
  • Short Film News
  • Tutorials
  • Web Series

Indie Shorts Mag on Instagram

Follow Us On Instagram

  • #ShortFilmReview: Maladjustment: Because you are breathing. Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: I Love Who You Are: How well do they love who you are? Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Alternative Math: Does 2+2 equal 22 or is she against the First Amendment? Read our review and watch the short film. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Dream Big: Bad at communication, saved by the power of art. Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: A Smaller Big Bang: He wanted to take her out. She wanted to take him out. This is a love-hate story. Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Later Gator: Who wants to play hero? Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: A Lovely Death: Death stalls for her. Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Icecap Seven: Horror awaits at the end of the line. Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: LIFE Happens: He started thinking. It was much too late. Read our review. Link in bio.

#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Article
  • Write for Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

© 2015-2023 Indie Shorts Mag.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Hall of Fame
  • Short Film Festival – 2023
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Submit Short Film
    • Submit Short Film for Review
    • Submit Web Series for Review
    • Interview Submission Form

© 2015-2023 Indie Shorts Mag.