Debutant director Vishnu’s English short film titled ‘Resurrection’ shows a future to fear

Global pandemic lockdown 2020. Day 13. Somewhere on earth. A mother explains the implications of Covid-19 to her child. She warns the little one to stay away from the outside world lest she lose her life. To which the child responds, “Like daddy.” Debutant director Vishnu T R’s eight-minute English short film titled ‘Resurrection’, on the futuristic lockdown, was released by actor Dulquer Salman on July 7 to rave reviews.

On Day 2,773, WHO confirms vaccination for human trials, as per the film. The girl, now grown up, complains to her mother about the closure of her e-classes to which her mother tries to explain about meeting people in real life. The child, who has been acquainted with machines for ages finds the concept alien and unrelatable. On the insistence of her mother, the girl ventures out in safety gear but breaks down as the circumstances terrify her. She inquires about her father, who could have possibly died of the coronavirus. The protagonist illustrates the role of people like her father, who had to be on the frontlines to save people.

‘Resurrection’ is also an ode to both the mundane and interesting observances resulting from the unprecedented pandemic and the lockdown. “A conversation with an eight-year-old spurred the idea. She complained about missing her school and friends. The pandemic has led us to crave the littlest of things. It made me question how children would receive the kind of social skills we have, from a screen in a closed room.

Similarly, I realised that people have begun to venture into learning and perfecting their cooking skills,” says Maradu-based Vishnu, who has incorporated the scenes into his short film.Vishnu has had prior experience in assisting cinematography of films such as ‘Sooryavanshi’, an upcoming Bollywood movie by Rohit Shetty; Malayalam movies ‘Thanneermathan Dinangal’ and ‘Love, Action, Drama’. 

After assisting cinematographer Jomon T John for a while, Vishnu started working on his first feature film which was halted due to the lockdown. However, the break gave birth to ‘Resurrection’.The short film also delves into uncertainty and depicts a few alarming possibilities. “Pandemics have taken years to diminish -- vaccines are developed and tested successfully after ages. Currently, we have an increasing number of cases and people are becoming more aware by the day. The ambiguous timeline can be chilling but it is the truth – something which many people would find difficult to acknowledge,” says the 21-year-old who is also the writer and cinematographer of ‘Resurrection’.

Debutant actors Lilly Thaddeus, Irene Jose and Rebecca A Kurian have rendered fine performances in the film. “I wanted to make a Malayalam short film but I felt it read better in English,” says Vishnu. This also helps in attracting a global audience. While the film ends on a metaphorical note, open to interpretation and is from the perspective of a child, it is also a reminder that regardless of our trying circumstances, everything is going to be okay.The film is available on YouTube.