Alien Anthropologists
The concept behind “Alien Anthropologists” is a fun take as it stabs at our own world and highlights how bizarre life has become regarding politics and human behavior. It’s a comedy that focuses on two aliens who come to earth to observe how well we are holding up as a society, and much to their dismay, we’re crumbling as a society in the year 2022. I’m not going to go much further into the plot because that would only spoil the humor and the commentary that’s being made, but there are other factors that I admired about this.
One being the usage of green screen throughout what seems to be the entire film. I really liked how it became a stylistic decision rather than “only if needed” basis. It really goes to show that even when you don’t have a certain location to shoot at you can resort to the green screen and make it a part of the short film’s visual aesthetic.
I really enjoyed the portrayal of the politicians and the word play with their names. It’s obvious who they are meant to represent and the actors across the board really pull it off. Some of it seemed like an SNL skit, which I really appreciated, as it’s all done for humor rather than trying to be offensive. The director, Robert Kirk, says he wanted “… to channel the negative to the positive…” and comedy is oftentimes a good way to do so. It allows us to laugh off serious issues, but also reminds us that there are way bigger things to be worried about.
Another thing to admire behind this is the passion of the message that Robert Kirk really wants to convey to the audience. It’s never in our face or one-sided. It’s, more or less, commentating on both of how mankind can be better in general (despite different belief systems) as well as what mankind already does best. Everything that Robert Kirk touches on in this short film regarding riots, protests, politics, social norms, etc., is definitely applicable to everything going on today. I doubt much will change in the years to come.
The writing alone really drills the message as it’s more of a dialogue driven film than it is action based. Behind the writing lies a personality that really shines through with every character. The writing gives this film a voice and the overall visual look of it really emphasis the style of the writing. It’s really cool to see the two intertwine and be its own thing rather than conforming to something that’s already been done before. In that sense, this is unique in its own way.
If you’re sick and tired of having to hear about the lunacy of our world today, then this film is a nice reminder that everything is only temporary despite the craziness. There’s plenty of chuckles throughout that really compliment what the filmmakers are going for. From the visual style, to the writing, and to the overall commentary on our world. It’s good fun and I would recommend this if you like comedy and satire.
