Teleios is a fascinating high-concept science fiction film, by writer and director Ian Truitner, that is both visually stunning and thematically engrossing. The film follows an expedition of genetically modified humans that embark on a daunting journey to seek information and investigate a derelict mining vessel– called Atromitos– whose fate is speculated to have had a violent end.
The failed mission of the Atromitos, however, harbors a survivor in Travis O’Neill, played by Weetus Cren. Once O’Neill is extracted from the Atromitos, the laborious process of unearthing the facts and solving the mystery of the Atromitos begins, all the while, the crew members of the expedition begin to exhibit strange behaviors, some that involve sexual impulses, while others include lapses in memory and uncontrollable shaking of the hands. O’Neill is a silent and paranoid survivor and at first not very cooperative. This lone survivor is the key to exposing and revealing what actually happened onboard the doomed ship, testing the patience of the crew with his enigmatic brooding.
The film’s protagonist Iris Duncan (Sunny Mabrey) shows an incredible patience in exposing and seeking the truth something her other crew mates lack. It should be noted that actress Sunny Mabrey is a standout as she gives a fantastically sophisticated performance in an ensemble cast which includes, Lance Broadway, T.J. Hoban, Christian Pitre, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Ursula Mills as Lulu-AH-320 (a” survivor” of Atromitos), and Michael Nouri as Nordham, who we only see through a teleprompter as the expeditions leading authority.
The film raises many questions which go beyond O’Neill and the mystery of the Atromitos. Nordham’s message to his crew is being relayed to them every two hours; the message is the same and it concerns the cargo on the Atromitos and it’s elevated status as priority one above all else. Lulu AH-320, the strange cyborg companion to O’Neill goes under severe scrutiny as her agenda and purpose becomes increasingly unclear. In short, the film is full of questions that beg to be answered captivating the audience with it’s thought provoking and deep story.
Apart from a majestically conceived sci-fi screenplay, Teleios is a stunning and luscious visual experience with images that are captivating and drag you into the film’s deep space world. The film feels like an updated and modernized extended episode of the original Star Trek television series with less camp and more complex intellectual ruminations. There is a painstakingly crafted world here, which is introduced through title cards at the beginning of the film, explaining the “history” of this future landscape where earthlings have sent the best of the best to explore the deepest facets of space, before launching us into a seemingly futurist utopia. The film makes a case for the imperfect human creator creating nearly-perfect humans, but as time and harrowing situations prove, technology has a way of breaking down and exhibiting flaws, some of them fatal.
You won’t be able to catch this Thousand Mile Media film in theaters or VOD just yet. Teleios just had its World Premiere on May 1 at the 16th London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film
