A Delicate Situation

Dave learns that loneliness is a choice that we make... by listening to his washing appliances.

This was such a fun concept for Man vs Machine! As a genre, Man vs Machine often invites more aggressive and brutal representations of AI turning on humans, but this was a delightful subversion that focused on a more homely and emotive heart!

I particularly liked how Bubbles was never a true villain in this piece, but driven by her desire to make Dave understand how much Dryden means to her, that she'd do anything to have him back, and that maybe Dave ought to push more to reconnect with Sarah.

One suggestion for this film may be to focus a little more on story elements that can hit more of that emotive heart - what happened between Dave and Sarah? Why is it he can't bring himself to call her? This part of the story could have pulled in a nice parallel with the relationship Bubbles and Dryden have, and how the subsequent unplugging of Dryden could be representative of what happened in Dave and Sarah's relationship.

Overall, this wee film had a lot of heart, and I'm excited to see what your team does next year! :)

I wasn't sure what to make of this film. It has some touching moments, great wordplay, and a fun take on smart home AI. Each device has its own personality, sense of humour, and an ability to take sides or make a point.

I found the film surreal and a tad slow, but the audience really enjoyed it. I loved the ending. Perhaps there's room to play with more cinematic and storytelling techniques that could build tension and entice the viewer along the way.

A very earnest and sweet story, and one of only maybe two or three films this year in Chch that really made a Man vs. Machine instead of weird AI or other vague tech nonsense.

Wonderful performance from your lead - we particularly loved that overhead shot with the tiny sweater, very nice. The washer and dryer voiceovers were also good fun, and those puns hit the mark for us. The story overall was a little slow; we wonder what could raise the stakes a bit more before reaching the end?

THE BEST THING: A great idea paired with sweet performances made this one a crowd-pleaser.

THE NEXT THING: Great storytelling chops from this team leave us convinced that if you spend some time in the technical realm you could really pack a punch in this competition. Hire some gear next year with Lightchasers and get 50% off for the weekend haha and see where it might take you! Well done, and we look forward to seeing next year’s submission!

This was one of my favourite films in the competition this year, because it was unique. It is memorable. And you have a knack for that. The one film I always remember first from last year's competition - and one of the few I had our team watch this year as part of our preparation - is Kill Joy. There were some rough edges on that film production wise (e.g. audio), but it stuck in my mind because it too was a unique story. I was eagerly anticipating what you'd come up with this year and was not disappointed.

I agree with Joel & Rachel that your storytelling is fantastic. You just get let down with production details, which they have already described. However, you have improved those a lot from last year, this is a much more polished film than Kill Joy. Keep on the track you're on and you'll have a good chance of making the finals next year.

Not something I'd ever have expected to write, but this team's ability to get the audience to care about the emotional affairs of a front-load washing machine is wild. Probably one of my favourite uses of miniature as well. Ka rawe