INHUMANE RESOURCES

A young man in a white shirt and black tie flees, pursued by a woman dressed in the same way, who wants to kill him. Simultaneously, two other young people chase each other in the same environment, an abandoned industrial area, and all are equipped with microcameras that monitor their movements. Only one of them can survive this merciless fight to have the right to a place in society. "InHumane Resources" opens with a quote from George Orwell and his famous "1984": "But everything was all right now, everything was definitely settled. The struggle was over. He had won over himself. He loved Big Brother." It is not new for director Michele Pastrello to make this statement of intent at the beginning of the film, capable of giving a key to reading or simply a personal consideration on what is about to be seen. "InHumane Resources" is partly Orwellian for many reasons, from the vigilant eye of Big Brother (the microcameras!) that spreads out over more classes and social strata, to a cynical almost totalitarian vision of the reality that surrounds us. But "InHumane Resources" also has the merit of re-reading these themes in order to the current society, of taking an assumption of topicality to frame a specific situation of social discomfort. Without revealing anything about the film, we can say that Pastrello addresses a hot topic today and that involves all young people, now immersed in a killing game to secure a future... a killing game in the literal sense of the term, which connects this short film with the narrative dynamics of cults of the recent past like "The Tenth Victim", "Battle Royale" or "The Implacable", where man is nothing more than a pawn for the sadistic sense of entertainment or selection of someone who has the faculty to decide... a Big Brother, in short. Pastrello is not easy to fit into a specific genre and his previous works were always elusive mixtures between drama and thriller, often with hints of horror. With "InHumane Resources", the Venetian director ventures into the action movie, but this time too elements from thriller/horror jump out, perhaps even a touch of science fiction that already made its appearance onirically in his previous "Ultracorpo". Then there is no lack of the social vein that is now an intelligent trademark of Pastrello, as happened also in the excellent "32" and "Ultracorpo". "InHumane Resources", therefore, despite attempting to distance itself from the director's previous works in terms of stylistic signature and rhythms, ends up being highly recognizable, an integral part of an interesting and very personal discourse on the nature of the human being and its various directions in the path of self-destruction. This film limps a bit in the narration of events. In a duration of about 20 minutes, we focus almost entirely on the fierce struggle between the four characters, it is a continuous chase that can seem repetitive in the long run. Pastrello clearly wants to tackle something new, test the "technique", losing for a moment the modus narrandi that usually belongs to the short film. The beautiful and ultra-cynical ending makes up for that initial sensation of going in circles. But I was talking about the technique. Yes, because "InHumane Resources" is fundamentally an exercise in style, a film that experiments with a total vision of action cinema. The frenetic and really kinetic rhythm, the innumerable editing cuts, the camera virtuosity... all elements that make this short film a very complex work at a technical level. Excellent the leaden photography of Mattia Gri, enhanced by high-definition digital (the film was shot with a Canon 5D camera) and good the use of locations, obtained from an old hemp factory in the province of Treviso, which in the film seems much larger than it is in reality. Very good also the contribution of the actors, all non-professionals, who perform excellently in visibly difficult scenes. In particular, the two women of the cast stand out, the blonde Mariasole Michielin and especially the brunette Michela Virago, to whom are added Isacco Tognon, Alessandro Serio and Marzio Dias. In short, we are not at the level (very high) of "Ultracorpo", but Pastrello nevertheless crafts a remarkable work, capable of combining technique and content in an efficient and functional manner. Add half a pumpkin to the final score. Starting from March 22, "InHumane Resources" will be available for free streaming for a few days on www.sugarpulp.it and subsequently on www.inhumaneresourcesfilm.com.