Almost Home

A woman and her son are in a spaceship, about to return to Earth. However, a dangerous threat might force them to change their plans.

This emotional sci-fi drama from Germany takes place in space and the plot focuses on a journey that is coming to an end. Set in the future, Nico (Wolff) and her teenage son Jakob (Meyer) have been traveling through space inside a spaceship, with the purpose of treating Jakob's paralysis and they have succeeded. Now, after a long time, they are looking forward to going home and reuniting with Tom (Kampwirth), Jakob's father. Unfortunately, a global virus outbreak has occurred on Earth and Jakob's vulnerable condition puts him at high risk of dying if he catches it. Now a decision must be made regarding whether mother and son will complete their journey back to Earth or go back to space until things are safer for Jakob.

The main conflict in this short is whether Nico and Jakob will land on Earth or wait for the right time. Once they learn about the pandemic, the three family members argue between them about what should be done. Jakob insists on going home and Tom supports that. Nico strongly believes that they should remain in space. A great deal of confrontations take place, however, the narrative also explores the tender relationship that Jakob has with his parents.

The mise-en-scene looks fantastic and could be compared to a Hollywood blockbuster. The exterior and interior of the spaceship look great and so does the clothing. The space environment looks wonderful and very realistic and so do the effects of microgravity, with people floating. There are also devices that develop holograms of people, which is how the spaceship crew communicates with people from a distance and is how Kampwirth's character appears in the film.

As far as the acting goes, Wolff, Meyer and Kampwirth are outstanding, making their characters sympathetic and creating a lot of drama about the dilemma they have to face.

Many commendations go to composer Hans Konnecke for the beautiful and dramatic score and also to director of photography Georg Nikolaus for the cinematography. The filmmakers also utilise creative lighting techniques.

On the surface this is a deadly virus science fiction film, however, it is much more than that. It is a moving and tense story about family, about homesickness, about free will and it explores coming-of-age themes and life in space. With great production value, well-written dialogue, dramatic acting and an intriguing plot, this short stands out as an admirable achievement.