directed by:
James Ristas written by: James Ristas genre: Science Fiction |
The first thing that should catch your attention when watching this short film, “RAMGOG!” is the wonderfully artistic and unique way that it’s been filmed and presented to you. Mind you, that won’t be the only thing that keeps you watching as this bizarre little oddity continues to play on, but at the very beginning, you can’t help but notice how different “RAMGOG!” looks with just its two characters in black & white, surrounded by nothing else other than pure darkness everywhere. I’ll say this much…this is the kind of strange weirdness that is always interesting to me. We’re soon introduced to “RAMGOG!” himself, who looks like…hmm…some kind of like, space monkey warrior kind of thing? He’s got his book of words, which he’s living his life by, and between that & our other main characters mentioning religion at the start, you can tell that “RAMGOG!” is a twisted commentary on faith. As for the monkey-like creature guy, who apparently controls their fate and brings them a tree to eat from…he seems intelligent and reasonable enough, but don’t get him too riled up.
“You appeal to the violence in me. My love is not yet perfect.” I loved how Writer/Director James Ristas included only the two main characters to represent all of humanity and split their personalities down the middle so that one of them is willing to listen to the words of “RAMGOG!” and the other refuses to. The oddness will continue to play a dominant role, like when we’re shown the “engine of the universe,” for example. It’s a combination of wheels, and they need to keep turning, lest reality itself become broken. I like the idea; it’s cool – but isn’t this also where you’d imagine that one of the characters might have a question or two - given that the reality they once knew HAS changed seemingly beyond repair already at the point this all happens? I think I’d probably raise my hand politely and ask, “RAMGOG!” a thing or two around that point, but the story keeps moving. You might find yourself with other small questions along the way, too, like how, when the tree gets destroyed, where does the character that destroyed it manage to hide in such an endless ocean of nothingness? Or like…is this monkey-like space-dude really responsible for bringing sin into the world? Does that even matter now that everything & everyone is, like, totally gone & evaporated into the ether? And so, we discover what this is really all about. It’s not so much about the perilous plight of our two main characters, but it is partly a confessional of “RAMGOG!” himself and a story of how the universe came to be. Or…you know…how it was before all the lights went out? I ain’t gonna lie to ya, “RAMGOG!” is definitely not afraid to get as weird as weird can be…but you know something else? I’m here for it. “Everything around us is an illusion. We are merely creatures of plastic and light, living in a world of shadows.” Ultimately, I agree! This film is fun in how it examines philosophy, religion, and the fabric of our reality. As one character becomes willing to accept the burden of knowing, we get to the heart of “RAMGOG!” and what it wants to say as Ristas pulls back the curtain so that we can really have a look at what’s going on, resulting in one of the most insightful scenes you’ll find at the core of this film. Honestly, the main twist in “RAMGOG!” is not only brilliant but one that I never saw coming. I also felt like it answered so many of the questions that we would have formed along the way. Does it answer all of them? I’ll let you be the judge and jury on that. To me, it answered some of them but also opened the door to creating a few more. It does seem like there ends up being a severe amount of pressure on our main characters to re-form society when there seems to be a much simpler alternative. By the end of it all, you have to wonder if this is a story about the creation of humanity overall or a tale that is much more autobiographical instead…one that explains how James Ristas himself ended up here. Again, I’ll let you decide what “RAMGOG!” is really all about after you have a watch for yourself. What I can tell you for sure is that I genuinely enjoyed this! For as far out as it truly is, I was seriously impressed by how much “RAMGOG!” kept me onboard, entertained as I watched and wondered what the heck it was that was going to come next.
Emma Geller did a great job with most of the weight of this script being carried on her shoulders…she plays the “Last Woman” with a mix of humble innocence and quick-to-believe faith that worked out really well. Kris Salvi has less to do as the “Last Man” but played his role strong when the opportunity came up, embracing the madness of this moment and also representing the other half of our personality, which is more skeptical and questioning. All in all, as solid as either of the two characters or actors playing them may be, I felt like it was the filming that played the most significant starring role in “RAMGOG!” and what kept me watching attentively. I’m one of those folks who feel like the camera itself can become a character when a movie is made the right way…and while I don’t want to give too much away here, let’s just say it becomes clear that Ristas likely feels much the same way. Essentially, while it seems like “RAMGOG!” is fully built around its quirkiness, you’ll probably end up feeling like I did about it, which is that it’s equally centred around its cleverness. And while I can’t be completely sure…that IS James Ristas himself making an appearance towards the end, is it not? I’m assuming that’s the case…I’m assuming that moment couldn’t be played by anyone else if you’re following along with the story, though you won’t get help determining that for a fact by the credits rolling at the end of the film. Ahhh that “RAMGOG!” am I right? Mystery upon mystery upon mystery, I tell ya. You’ll have to check this out for yourself & see what you think – and I’d recommend that you do! I’m not gonna promise that everything is going to make complete and total sense to you by the end – maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t – but I do feel like you’ll be highly entertained through the vast scope of this short film’s imagination and uniqueness, in additional to its remarkably artistic depth. It’s WEIRD…there’s no doubt about that – but I’m still going with four stars here because it’s the right kind of weird that can’t help but keep us all wondering how this strange story is really gonna play out. |
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