“Talented filmmakers are not limited by their surroundings; they adapt to them.”
Trapped in a mobius-strip time loop, Dante (Dante Andaluz) finds himself face to face with The Others – replications of himself – after finding the source of a mysterious phone call. Diego Andaluz wears many hats for his production of Dante: A Replication including director, editor, and writer. Andaluz’s home state of Florida issued a lockdown order in March of this year due to COVID-19, thus shutting down production of a different short film, Andaluz adapted to the limitations of the pandemic resulting in Dante: A Replication.
The most striking element of Dante: A Replication is Diego Andaluz’s usage of editing and blocking to create the illusions of an unbroken take and of multiple actors. By taking extreme care with his blocking, Andaluz is able to make Dante’s never ending time loop a reality with the addition of swish pans both to aid in the editing and contribute to the film’s eerie atmosphere. The film is also dimly lit, with heavy shadows to further showcase the film’s darkness while the use of an iPhone for filming adds to the lowlight setting. Being so heavily involved in each stage of the film’s process of coming to life and with a team that understood Andaluz’s concept, Diego Andaluz perfectly captures his frightening vision of the supernatural in Dante: A Replication. Andaluz shows that anyone with a bold and creative idea can pull off their film if only one takes the time to acclimate to their given circumstances.
Disclaimer: Diego Andaluz is an acquaintance of the author.
Dir: Diego Andaluz
Prod: Diego Andaluz
Cast: Dante Andaluz
Release Date: 31 July 2020
Available on: YouTube, Vimeo, Andaluz Films
Flip Screen 