Film Review of Project Dorothy
Project Dorothy, George Henry Horton’s take on a “technological thriller,” is an unusual example of a film in the genre that relies on complete equilibrium. With the constraints imposed by independent filmmaking, Horton (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Ryan Scaringe) creates a clever picture despite his constraints. The film isn’t flawless as a thriller, yet it holds your interest for almost 70 minutes with its thrilling plot. The finest part? At a time when our connection to technology needs attention, care, and maybe analysis for a brighter future, Project Dorothy falls on your lap.
The film follows two criminals, Blake and James, as they evade the authorities. They reach what seems to be an abandoned facility, however their final goal is unclear. Upon their arrival, they find the place abandoned. Everything is perfect until the two guys suspect someone or something is observing the cameras. Contrary to your assumptions, nevertheless. Actually, it’s Dorothy, an artificial intelligence entity that has completely taken over the institution from every angle. Some historical details and the circumstances behind Dorothy’s “release” become apparent to James and Blake. It could be too late, however, when they learn of its true potential.
Project Dorothy is a two-man play that needs you to relate to its characters and voluntarily go along for the journey, but it makes up for its lack of logic with some brilliant handling of the enemy. Although the lack of background narrative makes it less interesting than I had anticipated, the performances of Adam Budron and Tim DeZarn were great enough to support the storylines that revolve on their main reasons for being there. Every action they do is motivated by a simple desire to stay alive. They get up the courage to confront an enormously strong creature. When the AI software learns about the internet, it shows a touch of joy, and Dorothy (voiced by Danielle Harris) finds out that exercise control is just more fun. Impressive occurrence.
In the end, it’s anticipated that you will have questions. Has anybody shown up? How on earth did Dorothy manage to get rid of every single thing? It seems that someone outside the facility knows about the potentially lethal creature inside and has warned the cops to stay away. There could be more background information, but this fixes a problem with the film’s logic and the small cast. This may be fixed in a longer cut, but right now Project Dorothy doesn’t seem like it’s a proof-of-concept movie. Maybe we’ll have to hold out till Kinogo, the production firm co-founded by Horton and Scaringe, releases their next picture.
While Project Dorothy is in a state of excitement, it is also a time for contemplation. Considering the film’s low budget, the end product is impressive. The majority of the film is devoted to a universally applicable concept of primitive survival, and it refrains from using superfluous story gimmicks to demonstrate the director’s expertise. The thing I like most about it? Without speaking a word, that outstanding opening sequence of the film conveys the dread of Dorothy’s antics when they became aware.