Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: THE INFINITE HUSK [SXSW Film 2025 - Austin, Texas]
The progression on an idea of consciousness can always be tricky in a science fiction movie. With "The Infinite Husk" [Visions], Vel (Peace Ikediuba) is brought to earth inhabiting someone else's body to observe Mauro (Circus-Szalewski) who has been studying earthlings for millennia yet he has settled into an almost domestic setting caring for a daughter and enjoying his cigarettes. It is an interesting diatribe on what being human means but it does get bogged down in ideas of why and how. Some of the best bits in the film are when Mauro waxes prophetic on the simple pleasures of being in a human body versus all the other problems it causes. Vel, as a character, simply wants to get home but she is not quite sure in what reality or manner she should function.
The main MacGuffin of the story revolves around what he is researching since the higher levels of being (almost like Q on "Star Trek") want to exert control without being criticized for doing it. While it does seem interesting, the actual crux of it is never fully explained. The intellectual basis the film works on in the beginning does give way to more conventional film thriller aspects simply because of the nature of its build. The reasoning and eventual resolution for Vel is simply, in many ways, the opening of eyes. Writer/Director Aaron Silverstein does want to function in the infinite but at times the idea he wants to convey might be too complicated for most audiences. That said, being able to do it in an indie film does show the power of the words in that it is conveyed. Ultimately both of the main characters are lost in the fact of what they think is altruistic in regards to their situation. "The Infinite Husk" does pose an interesting discussion within an effective wrapper through sometimes it gets a little too ahead of itself. B
By Tim Wassberg
