Coming completely out of left field is this extremely promising science fiction film Ambition. I happened to have stumbled upon it at Sploid and ever since I’ve been fascinated by its lofty design and minimal exposure. Here’s what we know: Ambition hails from Polish director Tomek Bagiński who is best known for his short films Bieg, The Kinematograph, Fallen Art, and Oscar-nominated The Cathedral. It stars Aidan Gillen (most famous for his role as Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish in HBO’s Game of Thrones) and Aisling Franciosi (Netflix’s The Fall). And here’s what we have in terms of plot:
Bagiński’s latest project – tells of a young apprentice (Franciosi) struggling to master nanotechnology on an alien world and prove herself to her enigmatic master (Gillen). Will her herculean goals remain tantalizingly out of reach, or will she fulfill them and in the process, change life as we know it?
The film was shot on location in Iceland, and as you can see in the trailer embedded above, the director took full advantage of the stellar landscape. What else does the trailer disclose? In the future, humans have the ability to build and control worlds. Oh, and Gillen poses the lovely existential question that so many movies before have attempted to tackle: “What is the key to life on Earth?” It certainly seems like Ambition will be, erm, ambitious in figuring out the meaning of life and how to truly sustain it.
“This is a project, ultimately, about great ambition: the power of the human spirit and our collective will to exceed all perceived boundaries,” said Bagiński of his shiny new film. “As our heroes seek out and close in on the very key to life, it goes beyond mere cinematic tropes to deal with the bolder universal themes of facing the future, battling uncertainty and showing the determination that makes us great. But it’s not all that it seems!”
Up to this point, this is all the information we have regarding the mysterious Ambition. Of course, there’s the movie’s official website which offers posters, production pictures, and behind-the-scenes stills. YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram accounts also follow the journey of its release. And yet Ambition is riding under the radar. Perhaps the tide will change when it premieres in front of an international audience tomorrow, Oct. 24 in London at the British Film Institute’s celebration of sci-fi film and television. A major announcement regarding the project (it better be a stateside release!) is expected.
Jump after the break and let Bagiński’s vision wash over you with its utterly beautiful landscapes, computer-generated visuals, and epic score. Check back here in the coming days to discover more about Ambition.
Update (10/24): What if I said Ambition is available for you to watch right now, in the comfort of your own home? Well, it is! Click after the break to view the short film and learn more about its origins and purpose.
So it turns out Tomek Bagiński’s Ambition is actually a short film commissioned by the European Space Agency–or ESA–to help educate and excite the masses about its imminent technological breakthrough known as Rosetta. ESA’s ambitious mission is to have a spacecraft “rendezvous with, escort and land on a comet.” Its aim is “to unlock the secrets hidden within the icy treasure chest for 4.6 billion years. To study its make-up and its history. To search for clues as to our own origins.” Rosetta is currently less than 10 km away from a comet, and next month it will attempt to land on one, explore, and report back its finding to Earth. November 12 is landing day, and the ESA will be live streaming the now-hyped event.
How does the film come into the play? The ESA calls it “science fiction meeting science fact.” Ambition takes place in a distant future where humans can create–or terraform–planets at will, and this great power will owe itself to Rosetta’s findings (or so the film will lead you to believe). The key to life on Earth is water, says Aidan Gillen’s Master, but where does water actually come from? The ESA hopes that its mission will provide long-gestating answers as to the origins of water which, in turn, might very well open up new theories regarding the origins of the universe and in the end, life itself.
Is Ambition the grand, sweeping theatrical adventure I thought it’d be? I’ll admit it: no. Still, I do not consider myself duped in the least. Bagiński’s little project has opened my eyes to the ESA’s incredibly exciting Rosetta mission with a powerful message about a hopeful future: a future filled with wonder and, with a little bit of luck, the keys to our survival as a species.
Below there are three videos: the short film, the original teaser, and a “making of” behind-the-scenes featurette. To learn more about the Rosetta mission and its effect on the film, watch the featurette and click over to the ESA. And last but not least, tune into the film’s brilliant score by Atanas Valkov with the SoundCloud embed here.