Daniels have done it again. Before they made the jump to features with their indie summer hit “Swiss Army Man,” directing duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert built up a hefty portfolio of short films and music videos. One of those inventive shorts is “Possibilia,” a six-minute exploration of memory and time seen through the lens of one couple’s break-up.
Starring Alex Karpovsky (“Girls”) and Zoe Jarman (“The Mindy Project”) as Rick and Pollie, the comedic actors sink their teeth into the melancholy of heartache and indecision. Beginning with the question: “What if you stayed?” and ending right where it began, “Possibilia” offers no answers, but infinite possibilities.
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Billed as “an interactive love story set in the multiverse — whatever that means,” the short film offers each viewer a unique experience. As the frames multiply, one can choose which storyline to follow, the options growing as the couple’s arguments heat up. Using body doubles, the couples from other possibilities blend into one another. Reality is not fixed here, and just as Rick and Pollie dispute their memories, neither can the viewer ever see the whole picture.
Music is an integral element to much of Daniels’ earlier work, having first achieved success making music videos. The music in “Possibilia” swells frenetically as the split images multiply underneath the screen, urging the viewer to click through more rapidly. Resist the urge to stay with one particular scene; the faster one clicks, the more the ideas — and the images — come into focus.
The film — like time itself — has no clear ending. You might find yourself wanting to take another spin through this lovely little drama. Take a look:
“Possibilia” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was an official selection of 2015 Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontiers. The film launches today on the interactive platform Eko, and is co-produced by Prettybird.
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