Written, directed and produced by Australian filmmaker Christopher Frey, Explosions is a gravity-defying short showcasing the many talents of its multifaceted creator. Funded by the Australian Film, Television and Radio School’s Creative Fellowship award back in 2011, Frey’s visually stunning film explores themes of genre subversion, religion and philosophy.

After failing to save her boyfriend from this loss of gravity, a girl struggles to escape the phenomena.

Dialogue-free, Frey’s film follow its protagonist, simply known as ‘the girl’, as she frantically attempts to escape the fate that has befallen those around her. Visualising his film through the sumptuous slow-motion photography of cinematographer Edward Goldner, the director completes the look of his short with some feature-worthy VFX – created by Frey himself. Rounding off his production with a subtle and haunting score, also composed and produced by Frey, Explosions combines its many parts in perfect harmony, creating an film made to be experienced – not just watched.

Despite its rich visuals, Frey’s short is much more than just an exercise in aesthetics, as his mysterious and captivating storyline makes this a short brimming with atmosphere and intrigue. With no attempts to explain the apocalyptic event unravelling in his narrative, Explosions leaves its audience to decipher this ethereal happening – act of god, scientific phenomenon, extra-terrestrial activity or something else?

Playfully blurring the boundaries of experimental and mainstream filmmaking, Explosions’ showcases the loose narrative and poetic feel usually found in abstract film, whilst also displaying the jaw-dropping visual flair more at home in a Hollywood blockbuster. It’s a blend that doesn’t always work when the balance is heavily weighted to one side, but with Explosions Frey has the equilibrium just right and successfully avoids the many pitfalls that could have resulted in his short aimlessly floating in the ether, like the subjects of the film.