Cursor
2016 · 15m · Italia
Directed by Marco Castiglione
In the year 2034, four soldiers are sent to plant devices that will destroy robots created to wipe out humanity. Discovered by the machines, they flee in a desperate attempt to escape.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
A competent sci-fi action film that does exactly what you'd expect it to do—which is precisely why it doesn't interest me; there's no formal or thematic transgression here, just robots and soldiers executing a premise that's been digested a thousand times.
Castiglione demonstrates technical control and a clear visual grammar rooted in contemporary action cinema, though the film doesn't quite achieve the formal ambition or narrative depth that would elevate it into conversation with the tradition it's working within.
The sound design—particularly how the ambient hum of the machines' presence builds dread without needing constant action—is the filmmaking decision that transforms what could be generic military SF into something genuinely tense, revealing how much a lean 15 minutes can accomplish with disciplined audio choices.