Written, directed, edited and produced by Moe Taylor, ‘As Organism’ is a high concept short film that seeks to take its audience on a journey from the subatomic world to the edge of the cosmos as it opens the possibilities of the existence of the universe as a single, connected As Organism. Narrated by Rachel Sellers, ‘As Organism’ seeks to broaden the horizons of human understanding regarding their place in the cosmos. Does it succeed in this regard? Only time will tell but Moe Taylor’s short manages to impress in more ways than one.
It is commonly seen that films with such lofty ideals and high concepts often get muddled in the wake of their own exposition and end up far short of where they ought to be. However, As Organism manages to buckle this trend with ease; Moe Taylor’s film uses the perfect blend of visuals, narrative cohesion and exposition to clearly elucidate what it is trying to achieve. The result is a product that is both easy on the eyes and stimulating for the mind; a combination rarely achieved in the industry plagued by recycled stories made for the lowest common denominator.
For all of the film’s various home runs, it is also true that some of the ideas presented in the film are complex for some. However, the brilliance of the production lies in the fact that Moe is able to weave the narration in such a way that these aspects and arguments seem highly plausible. Using science and logic, ‘As Organism’ also dives into complicated theories of physics and uses them to further its plot, impressing with a level of sophistication seldom seen in works of such genre.
In tandem with presenting such big ideas, the film has an equally expansive visual scope. Brilliantly using stock footage to follow along with the narration, Moe Taylor uses the visual medium to make an absolutely banger of a film. Each frame is carefully selected to support the narration and the tight editing makes the two seamlessly flow together. The animation that is used in tandem with the stock footage is equally impressive and all of these gimmicks are perfectly edited in a sequence that feels logical. Accompanying the fantastic visuals is the mesmerising score and sound editing which gives a truly epic cinematic feel to what we are witnessing onscreen.
To conclude, ‘As Organism’ is a fascinating film. Not only is it anchored by a great central theme, the execution of its central idea is what makes it tick. The film will make you pause and nudge you to think of what it means to exist here and now, where we are heading and what awaits us in the future. As Organism is science fiction futurism done right and it ends up both impressing and inspiring the audience.