Something about Neill Blomkamp and post-apocalyptic science fiction intrigues me. District 9 is the film that most people remember this young South African-Canadian director for. Many people, however, are unaware of his admirable efforts to democratise cinema by providing a forum for filmmakers who dare to experiment with new forms of material. His own film production firm, Oats Studios, is a step in that direction, and he and his colleagues have made some fantastic goods on surprisingly cheap budgets.
The experimental short films demonstrate Oats Studios’ potential and give an indication of what they may achieve with larger budgets in the future. Adam is one of Oats Studios’ fantastic short films.
The Unity Technologies game engine was used to create this three-part production, and Blomkamp happily accepted the challenge to demonstrate the Unity Engine’s capability in terms of high-quality 3D visuals. Blomkamp gladly collaborated with Unity Technologies on the second and third episodes after the inaugural 5:43 minute episode.
This is certainly motivational material for aspiring indie filmmakers, but the sheer quality of the films astounds us. In this video, we will take you through this thought-provoking storytelling and also give you insights into the possible interpretations.
Adam: The Whole Story
Part 1: Adam Unity
The story starts with a shot of two weird people approaching the camera. They’re a long way away, and there’s no way of knowing who or what they are. A robotic humanoid form regains consciousness in the next scene.
Because there are symptoms of difficult breathing, you can tell it’s not a real robot. It has human-like mannerisms, yet there is also a mechanical aspect to its conduct. It is plugged into some sort of machinery that binds it, and this android snaps off all the plugs to free itself. This is a man named Adam, a person whose identity is later revealed.
He looks a bit disoriented and puzzled about his condition. He gazes in shock at his arms and tries to feel the strange metallic skin on his face. He desperately tries to take off the cover, but it turns out to be his actual face!
Adam just manages to stand up and stroll towards a doorway that leads to the outside. There, he sees a slew of other people that look precisely like him. They all have the same appearance, with a white mask on their faces and an electronic screen on their chests.
Human guards stand off to the side, keeping a close eye on the group. They even shoot at them from a higher platform to keep them moving ahead. Some are hit, and the others look ahead to catch two strange figures approaching: the same two figures that the film opened with!
The guards spot the two approaching from afar and are concerned by their presence. They promptly retreat inside the thick walls of their refuge, leaving just the artificial people on the outside.
Finally, we get a close look at the two figures. They are dressed in warrior garb and have a commanding demeanour. The dark figure, in reality, lifts his spear and extends his hand forward.
We see that the electronic screen attached to the chests of the robotic humans is actually information about their crimes. The dark warrior wipes off all the crime records instantly, and the robotic humans are simply clueless as to what is happening. They still decide to follow the duo as they move out into the wilderness.
Adam: Episode 2 – Mirror
The original surroundings we saw appeared to be solid enough, but as the group continues to move, the conditions get more difficult. Things are on fire, and everything looks to be in shambles.
A female robot falls down as they continue going forward. She was injured from the firing of the guards, and now, she collapses, no longer able to continue. The others drone past, but Adam turns back to check on her. But the damage seems to be serious enough, and even the dark warrior fails to resurrect her. Finally, they reach a base that is patrolled by androids.
The reality is ultimately revealed: mankind remains confined to their cities, which are surrounded by enormous walls. Criminals who are found guilty are subjected to an unusual penalty.
Their reusable organs are transplanted, and they are provided with a robotic form to help them thrive. Their brain, on the other hand, is useless to humans, so they just wipe their former memories.
After this, they are exiled into the wilderness and left to wander about aimlessly until their power system wears out completely. The two mysterious entities turn out to be a part of the rebels who are led by their master, Mirror. This is yet another strange entity that is capable of reading the past life of the convicts.
When Adam confronts the Mirror, he discovers that he is actually a political prisoner accused of treason. Because of Adam’s identity and prior life, the warrior appears to be particularly interested in him!
Adam: Episode 3
The third section begins in a different setting. It appears to be a recreated ruin with shadows of the surrounding surroundings. A tribe of pagans has managed to survive the contaminated globe and now lives alone outside of the human metropolis.
This is almost like a mini-paradise where individuals can breathe fresh air without wearing a mask, and the better circumstances may be attracting many people to take sanctuary here. Their commander, a bald guy in a robe, greets a woman seeking safety.
Her name is Mary, and her human brother was deported for stealing medications for his ailing family. She’s heard a lot about the leader and his remarkable abilities, and all she wants is to find a safe haven in this realm. We are shocked to see that her face has been scarred and corroded by the pollution, and she is wearing a mask.
However, she does not resemble the likes of Adam or the other robotic humans. The leader points out how their people have continued a primitive lifestyle in these lands, devoid of science and technology.
He calls the life that they lead here pure and perfect. He is disgusted by the humans who have continued the same technologies of their great-grandfathers that caused their destruction in the first place.
Mary will be granted asylum, but she must first demonstrate her allegiance. The test will put her in a difficult situation. One of the banished artificial people is seen clinging to a rock. She must put an end to its suffering by smashing it with a stone, but the robot turns out to be her brother, much to her surprise!
He begs Mary to save his life, but she crushes his skull and renders him lifeless. The intensity of emotions in this scene is overwhelming, but she overcomes the difficulty and proves her eagerness to start a new life.
The leader seems happy with her actions, and he works his miracles around her. We see her skin healing back to normal, and even her mask is removed by him. He seems to have magic powers, and Mary is driven to tears and becomes one of his faithful believers.
There is, however, a little surprise as the storey progresses to the final scenes. As the commander enters a hidden bunker, we see him gradually shed his human skin. The guy is actually a robot that advocates for the abolition of science and technology, which is a surprising discovery! After all, a thought-provoking short video would be incomplete if it didn’t include some subtle irony!
Our Take on the movie
Imagine the shock of discovering that you are confined in a robotic body when you wake up. He regains consciousness, but he is no longer human in any way! When they flirted with this notion in the opening few minutes of Adam, we were sold. It’s incredible to witness the power of vision over money.
Neill Blomkamp clearly didn’t have a lot of money to spend on this project, but the self-funded humanitarian endeavour appears to be a lot more expensive than it is. In an interview, the filmmaker even stated that the expense of creating this picture was less than that of live-action films or true computer-generated imagery.
While credit is due for his team of experts and the Unity Technology game engine, the innovative concept of the director impressed us the most. For those who don’t know, Unity Technology is the same company that delivered classics like Call of Duty Strike Team, Dead Trigger, and Hitman Sniper. However, they are not restricted to making games, and also provide tools to other developers.
We’ve seen our fair share of post-apocalyptic tragedies, but none quite like this one! The concept of using inmates as robots with a trace of their human conscience is amazing, and Neill Blomkamp is one of the best at creating a post-apocalyptic atmosphere.
Every individual in this story has something larger and more enigmatic about their actual nature, which contributes to the mystery of the storyline. The theme of transhumanism synced well with the environment that is witnessed throughout.
The color tone is dull and dead, signifying the end of everything good, and the night sequence where everyone walks through a burning desert is especially spine-chilling. A short film is bound to be fast-paced, but this one is a nail-biter throughout the three parts. You will always be dying to know what happens next, and that is the beauty of the narrative!
Adam was designed to show off Unity’s unique abilities, and Blomkamp himself acknowledged that the technology was quite helpful. It allowed him to film a scenario and then transform it into a digital form, much like a 3D sandbox.
For instance, some scenes were shot in a desert, but they could be reused and altered several times because it also exists in digital format. Imagine the money saved for low-budget features in the future that utilize this technique!
Questions that haven’t been answered
The finest Oats Studio works, such as Rakka and Adam, have one thing in common: they don’t expose everything and spell it out in plain English for the audience! After all, they’re only intended to be a showcase of their skills, and they’re just waiting to be turned into full-fledged films. With Adam, we have a lot of loose ends, or should we say, purposely kept plot threads that pose a few questions for the viewer.
The first thing we couldn’t help but question was what made Adam so exceptional. Clearly, he appears to be the protagonist of the storey, and his personality is more human than the others’.
We observed Adam’s sensitivity when he sought to aid the fallen robot while the rest of the team disregarded her. He is a political criminal who has been charged with treason, but what is his role ahead? We guess, we will never really know unless Blomkamp does a tell-all or spoils it with a full-length feature.
Throughout the film, we were puzzled as to why the artificial humans were breathing. They presumably don’t have lungs if they’ve been robbed of their organs. Is it simply a physiological attempt to feel human in some way?
Is it just old habits that haven’t changed, even in mechanical form? The next thing that pricked us the most was to know what exactly the rebel group was up to! Who is this mind-reading leader, Mirror, and what is it about the dark warrior that made the human soldiers retreat behind their walls?
Last but not least, the pagans’ heads are surrounded by a large question mark. He acts as if he is a God-like being, calm and calculating, and his words make a lot of sense. But he is actually a robot! So what are his real intentions, and what role do these people have in the disastrous conditions? In case a movie comes out later, we are dying to know these answers.
Our Final Words
If things go well (and they appear to be going well based on Adam’s popularity), Blomkamp may be able to get the necessary money for a larger Adam film. He’s mentioned that he already has a vivid history in his head and that the script is ready for a larger-scale movie.
Adam won the Webby Award, and fans loved the spectacular work by the Unity game engine in real-time. The graphical quality is for all to watch, and now, it is only a matter of time before we see the true powers of indie filmmaking at its finest!