The Dark Side of the Mind

The Dark Side of the Mind Film Poster of "The Dark Side of the Mind"
Directed by	Giacomo Mantovani
Produced by	Cristina Isoli, Giacomo Mantovani
Written by	Giacomo Mantovani
Starring	Sasha Krohn, Angus Dunican
Music by	Julian Reid
Production company	Avant-garde Pictures
Running time	2'20"
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

"The Dark Side of the Mind" is a science fiction/drama short film by Giacomo Mantovani. It was created in July 2012 and entered into the Virgin Media Shorts competition.^[1] The film uses a variety of differing genre styles to demonstrate the internal conflicts of the human race. It centres on two characters, Duncan and Gunda, who, through unexplained means, have concocted a piece of technology capable of wiping out the entire human race. How they created the weapon is not the focus of this film; instead it examines the ever-present duality of humankind. Computer generated imagery begins and ends the film.^[2]

Official selections:

• Metricamente corto http://www.metricacorto.altervista.org/
• Riverside Saginaw Film Festival Short Film Contest http://www.riversidesaginawfilmfestival.org/shorts_contest.html
• Insight Film Festival http://www.insightfestival.co.uk/festival-2013/
• Thomas Meighan Film Fest http://www.sqdiv.com/page6/

Plot

Concealed in an old workshop, Duncan and Gunda are completing a weapon powerful enough to wipe humanity from the surface of the planet. At the most crucial moment, Gunda's doubts challenge their shared ideals, thus prompting a battle between good and evil, hope and despair, life and total annihilation.

Concept

This is the end. In an old warehouse at an unknown location, Duncan and Gunda have laboured to perfect a powerful weapon intended to wipe out the human race. Nothing is able to stop this from happening – neither the last-minute doubts of Gunda, who decides to fight for a glimmer of hope he sees in humanity, nor Duncan’s last groan of fear upon completion of this dreadful feat. The inner battle between good and evil has come to an end, and darkness prevails. Duncan knows this is the only solution, impassioned by the belief that humans will never be able to do any better because they are beasts, broken inside their minds and hearts. This is what drives him to the very end, activating the fatal red button on the machine… and the earth will gloriously burn. This time, fearless and masked heroes will not be there to save us from our inevitable destiny. Duncan’s thirst for annihilation is a representation of all humankind at its darkest moment, and this concept lies at the heart of this three-minute short. This apocalyptic and bleak vision of the future is doubtless prompted by our present circumstances, where the financial crisis, the growing dissatisfaction and general fear that a majority of people are experiencing every day, doesn’t seem to offer a way out.^[3]

Cast and crew

• Director/Writer/Producer: Giacomo Mantovani
• Co-producer: Cristina Isoli
• Assistant Director: Pier Paolo De Rosa
• Composer and Music Producer: Julian Reid
• Photography/Editing/SFX: EXIV
• Cast: Sasha Krohn, Angus Dunican

References

Further reading