Vesper

Vesper

After the collapse of Earth's ecosystem, Vesper, a 13-year-old girl struggling to survive with her paralyzed Father, meets a mysterious Woman with a secret that forces Vesper to use her wits, strength and bio-hacking abilities to fight for the possibility of a future.

  • Released:
  • Runtime: 120 minutes
  • Genre: Adventure, Drama
  • Stars: Edmund Dehn, Matvej Buravkov, Marijus Demiskis, Markas Eimontas, Titas Rukas, Markas Sagaitis, Eddie Marsan, Raffiella Chapman, Rosy McEwen, Richard Brake, Melanie Gaydos
  • Director: Kristina Buozyte, Bruno Samper
 Comments
  • pwallas - 9 June 2024
    Rarely seen subtle SFX
    Really enjoyable for the visuals and the fascinating plants and organic systems. Plot holds few surprises but soundtrack and cinematography are engaging. The special effects are not highlighted. They don't command attention, but some are really unusual. Look for the device that allows Vesper to explore DNA. Keep an eye on the plant life. There's not much exposition, so you need to go along without having everything explained. At under 2 hours it is a lovely antidote to bloated superhero tales. Shot in Lithuania, with remarkable landscapes. Interesting costuming and performers who are not afraid to get wet and dirty. Dan Levy original score performed by an orchestra. Vesper lead has been acting since childhood.
  • michigan_football - 2 February 2024
    Ok movie. Lots of potential, but falls short.
    An alright movie that didn't have that extra bit to make it a good movie. Some brave new world type themes mixed with fallout/ Mad Max, but sadly misses the mark for me.

    While some of the world building was well done, some really nice visuals and concepts but as a whole, it just felt like they ran out of budget to make it the movie it could have been.

    Basically the movie never goes anywhere, just feels like it's shot in and around a cabin the entire time. There is this threat of his whole other civilization out there that is constantly looming over their lives... yet we know nothing about them. A missed opportunity to get a feel for this other life they aren't a part of... Which would have made this a much better movie I think, instead it feels too long and the pace can't keep up.

    Still not a bad movie, something different for sure, but I think it sits safely at 6.5/10.
  • pontram - 6 September 2023
    Aschenputtel the Geneticist
    I am sorry to give this only 6 stars.

    Most of the praises here and elsewhere are correct. Acting, visuals, directing, scenery, costumes, atmosphere, soundtrack...all good, great, above par.

    It could be a wonderful movie.

    But it didn't reach me. It is mainly a gifted girl fighting against her brutal uncle and his thugs, and then some military squad goons from the citadel. The uncle had established a form of a suppressive/parasitic system that relies on children and their blood as a merchandise, and the citadel is a big closed construct with survivors who exploit the poor outside.

    And world building is not very good. The citadel inhabitants' lifestyle and ambitions remain mostly undescribed. The state of the rest of the world also, except for the introductory text.

    Instead, the movie takes its time to describe the sad situation of the gifted child who is determined to care for her ill father. It is very efficient in describing the relation between father and daughter, how the loss of her mother inpacted her, and the sadness that overshadows their life because of a devastated world and sociality around them.

    Very well, but that is not quite how I hoped to follow the possible future saviour of humanity, as Vesper is announced. I missed also some coming-to-age angle, when a child has to grow up fast because of external factors.

    When watching, I often had the impression of swimming on the surface of some very deep water, where things are lurking that I want to explore, but the storytellers did not allow me to dive deeper.

    Since this movie seems to try to be different in its genre, I was somewhere disappointed. I had a better experience with the movie "Annihilation" regarding that.
  • movies_are_life_ - 31 December 2022
    Weak script and for a story that had potential.
    Vesper has nuggets of good ideas that could be expanded upon that would make it a great sci-fi movie, but it's held back by a straightforward narrative. Lush cinematography, solid pace, and tight direction keep the movie from ever getting boring, but too many ideas feel used before.

    I kept waiting for the story to take off and surprise me or gain some much needed energy, but it plodded along. It is not "bad", just not interesting enough to stand up to a long history of great sci-fi films.

    Overall, the script, acting, and basic plot add up to something that could've been more and wasn't engaging enough to recommend to the average viewer, but fans of sci-fi will still appreciate the watch for the ideas that are presented.
  • damianphelps - 24 November 2022
    Would Have Been A Great Short Story
    The bio elements of this movie are so impressive, unfortunately the story of the film is not.

    Almost nothing happens in the story yet it takes two hours for very little to transpire.

    The lead actor is hard to watch and the other characters are quite limited in what they bring to the screen.

    Visually the movie is hit and miss, the 'mushrooms' are super dynamic but everything else, as dystopian movies feel they need to be, is pretty bleak on the eye. Just because the times are dark and bleak doesn't mean the environment 'has' to be the same.

    At the end of the day the film is about some seeds and a glorified ladder!
  • AngelHonesty - 30 October 2022
    Very Slow and Extra Simple
    I wasn't sure what to expect, but found myself soon disappointed. The movie was visually beautiful to watch. And I liked the different idea of a wasteland, and needing seeds to survive to create food. The acting was good and I enjoyed Raffiella Chapmen as Vesper. With her very believable performance. But, all in all, it was too simple. The movie soon became boring as it dragged on to show almost nothing. There is very little action and very little sci-fy, its mostly about a kid running around and doing... what exactly? I wanted to see more of this world that was being described to us. It would have been nice to see other aspects of it, to see the big city and the difference between the poor and rich. The film just felt too simple. It got boring fast.
  • SnoopyStyle - 15 October 2022
    fine sci-fi
    In the future, the Earth's natural ecology has collapsed. Genetic engineering has become a runaway problem. Human civilization has retreated to various city states known as Citadels. The rest are trying to survive in the dangerous wilderness. Vesper (Raffiella Chapman) is a teen girl alone caring for her sick father. She finds Citadel resident Camellia (Rosy McEwen) who survived a crash landing. Local leader Jonas (Eddie Marsan) rules over his family and his neighbors.

    I like the designs and the world. The premise is fine sci-fi. There is potential for a good solid sci-fi small indie. Eddie Marsan delivers the powerful punch. His end is disappointing. The last act has some good and some bad. I can't help but feel that something more could be done. I would be happier if the final confrontation happens with Marsan. There is almost no need to get the Citadels involved. All in all, this is fine, but it is a bit slow.