Recaptured

“Go ahead and make the effort to see this film if you can. You’ll be glad you did…”

Paurus's house is like a jungle. It’s filled to the brim with plants. But he's not alone. Recapturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with genetically modified houseplants is now mandatory for everyone. Well, almost everyone.

Recaptured is a wonderfully original concept given the enormous potential the story has. Audiences will be amazed that it’s not something they’ve seen at the movies already. Writer and Director Oscar McNab takes on his film with total clarity of the vision that he wants to take the film in. Considering the small budget, a lot of credit should be given as the film looks and sounds superb in every way possible. We wonder what McNab could achieve with a larger budget at his disposal? We know we’d be eager to see it!

What we found most fascinating was how effective the ‘future’ setting was. It looks and feels like a not too distant future that has a unique yet distinct character to it that feels devoid of character. Instead of household objects and furniture, we have plants in every corner you can find. Creating an incredible setting that makes the character of Paurus feel overwhelmed and immensely claustrophobic. A perfect example of slotting the films lead character in an uncomfortable situation.

Harvey Quinn who plays the role of Paurus is perfectly cast. Even though he doesn’t have someone to play off through most of the film, he takes on every scene with ease and feels natural. Quinn has a sincere and genuine trait about him that fits the character well. The same can be said of Dani Dupont, Jane Goddard and David Wayman who all shine in their roles. We just wanted more of it!

As for the production itself, Director of Photography Alex van Leeuwen made this film look outstanding. Leewen makes the most of the incredible location and keeps it creative throughout with the framing. The lighting jumps out and doesn’t look out of place, especially in the darkly lit scenes that add to the futuristic tone of the film. As mentioned, this location if superb, ideal for such a film. The clean lines and large windows really adds to the story and was a great find. The VFX is expertly created and blended in against the simplistic yet effective computer/tablet props. Little aspects like this is what makes Recaptured such a great film, the attention to detail. McNab has put together a brilliant team of filmmakers to visualise his story and they should be proud of what they’ve accomplished.

We’ve seen plenty of Sci-Fi films over the years and Recaptured is certainly part of a group of films that we would love to see turned into a feature film given the possibilities it has. Go ahead and make the effort to see this film if you can. You’ll be glad you did…

— APEX Film Awards