Where I Watched It: Screener Link

English Audio Description?: Currently, No

Beggars cannot be choosers. When I put out into the universe that my life would be easier if I got screener copies from studios, and a guy swings by and gives me the link to the screener for his short film still trying to lock in a distribution deal, I can’t look a gift horse in the mouth. So, congrats 10 With A Flag, you just got a review.

I don’t normally review short films, because they are a monster in themselves. Most have the kind of budget you might spend on a month’s rent, and hire whatever local talent is available to them. They are frequently good ways for people just starting out to start developing their reels, so they can hopefully get bigger and better work offered down the line. Most of your top directors all have a short film out there that started it all.

So, director Vasco Alexander has tackled a science fiction short story for his new short, and this concept is killer. I don’t know why a larger company hasn’t grabbed this property yet, but I’d totally watch a feature or series that was based in a world where we are able to predict the intelligence potential of a child while it is still in the womb, and everyone is rated on a scale of 1-10, and even live according to their assigned numbers. When a pair of 6’s find out they are having a perfect 10, this is so rare that they are actually immediately elevated to 8, but there’s also a catch. A flag. Something they have to give up in order to have this baby. We don’t know what that flag is, and that’s the ominous potential of this property.

As a short film, the paranoia has to set in fast, and it sets in with the husband of this pair. This is where the weak link is, as Brian Moriarty is not a strong enough actor to handle his material. He doesn’t seem connected to anything in the film, especially his wife, and where the film would require him to ramp up his level of danger detection, he remains pretty flat. He also has no chemistry with his partner, who comes across as charming and a leading actress worth caring about.

I can’t comment on much else, because this film doesn’t have audio description, which is what I need as a blind film critic to properly examine a film. However, unlike raking million dollar projects over the coals that are hosted on major streamers, this feels like yelling at a puppy. What is the point? This film had likely no budget, and made the most out of it, while it now seeks distribution. it would be nice to have accessibility on this, but I’m not going to ask a fledgling director to put a second mortgage on his home for it.

But, there are scenes where a song is played and I have no idea what’s going on. There’s also a moment I’m fairly certain they used canned background conversation, since almost no one has credit for this film on iMDB. Is it flawless? no. rarely these films are, because we are so used to seeing movies with 200 million dollar budgets, directed by auteurs who have oodles of experience, and actors with tons of on screen work to pull from. That’s why I say, short films are their own monster. Some people just live in the world of short film, because they love the idea that they might discover the next Christopher Nolan. Who knows what Vasco Alexander is going to do down the road, but based on this short, I think he absolutely should be given something substantial to direct. Whether he be hired to start directing TV episodes or simply granted enough to turn this into a feature, there’s something here.

As a short film, it’s good not great. Aside from the lack of accessibility, it has a leading man who doesn’t have the emotional range to carry the part, and the script doesn’t help him by having any dialogue that allows this couple to develop a bond. We open right with the realization that a baby is on its way. A little bit of banter could have helped him establish a relationship with his screen partner, but we’ve gotta get this done in a short period of time. That’s why, I’d love to see Alexander get a shot at expanding this into a feature.

It feels like a proof of concept, not like a short film that people will remember, but rather a work people will look at and use to determine if they want to turn this into something of a longer length (series or film). As it is though, I really dug it, and I will temporarily give it a pass on lack of accessibility, hoping that the director is now aware and when he does have the budget, he will make sure his movies have audio description and that his films are accessible no matter the platform.

Final Grade: B