Why Watch? A lot of strange things happen in Marc Roussel’s short film. A guy gets an old Polaroid picture of himself in the mail, a freak snowstorm turns his television into a portal to 1978 and he strikes up a conversation with a young girl living in the past. He also finds out she’s been murdered.
There’s no denying the amateur gloss here – the film is probably two more drafts and four professional actors away from being truly outstanding – but it’s also difficult to ignore both the power of the concept and the careful execution. Remote is the kind of movie that draws you in with its curiosities and then delights in getting weirder. It also toys with time travel (and horror tropes) in a way that’s bloody fun. Specifically, that common, powerless feeling that comes with playing audience to someone being killed onscreen.
What will it cost? Around 18 minutes.