ASTERNAUTS - Award-winning Sci Fi Comedy Short Film [EN]
Watch without hard-coded subtitles here: • ASTERNAUTS - Award-win...
Winner Best Film @ Columbia Film Festival, NY
Winner Best Cinematography @ HollyShorts Film Festival
Winner Best Screenplay @ Porto7 Int'l Short Film Festival
Winner Audience Award @ Cortópolis Int'l Short Film Festival
Winner Jury Prize for Excellence @ Boston Sci-Fi Film Fest
Winner Best Sci-Fi/Horror Audience Award @ Love Your Shorts Film Festival
Official Selection @ Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner, SXSW, Heartland Film Festival, DC Shorts, LA Femmes, Jerry Goldsmith Awards, Huesca Film Festival, Malta Film Festival, Hofer Filmtage, Molodist Film Festival, Bangkok Film Festival, Kurzfilmfestival Landshut, BuSho Budapest, Cannes Short Film Corner, and more (over 50 film festivals worldwide)
Life is pretty dull for small-town farmer Earl McKnutt and his childlike brother Joel: Wake up, feed the cows, and sit on the porch until it's time to turn in. That is until one night a mysterious object from outer space crash-lands in their pasture killing their best bull and milking cow…
A MovieBrats & Sandbox Hero production
Directed by Marta Masferrer
Written by Raven Burnett
Produced by Alexander Weimer, Esther Friedrich, Marta Masferrer
Cast: Zenon Zeleniuch, Wray Crawford, Melissa D. Brown, Tina Balthazar
Cinematography: Xiaosu Han & Andreas Thalhammer
Production Design: Marcus LaPorte
Film Editing by Marta Masferrer
Music by: Adrian Sieber
Executive Producer: Marianne Walzer
Co-Producers: Paul Knaus, Chelsea Kujawa
The official human slogan: “Let’s poke it with a stick!”
Poke poke poke ohhh shit, it's awake and coming for us 🥺
No hit it with a rock
It's what's put us from candle light to Mars in 3 generations. Here's to longer sticks and a bigger reach.
@@tolfan4438 Tie a sharp rock to a stick then poke/hit it with that.
Yes, still valid since before the stone age
i loved how Earl brought back wonder to his brother.
THAT is the most important aspect....never lose the ability to just wonder.
@@alectraproject to me that bit was more about the insight and empathy. While he did not like or even seem to understand what his brother was doing with that communication installation in the beginning, he knew it was important to him and let him tinker around with it anyways and then when the "state"(?) officials gave an explanation that utterly destroyed his brothers dream and sense of wonder, it was Earls empathy and love for his brother that drove him to try and reinstate it. Lets say there are two important parts to this story, having a sense of wonder at all and being able to endure that wonder of others even when you may not understand it yourself. May it be out of love or empathy or both.
@@kinngrimm Very well said !
@@kinngrimm Indeed, very well said! Thank you
Right? I was really sad that his brother had lost his wonder, but his brother brought it back around. So nice.
I did the voice of the baseball announcer on the radio in this film. I channeled my "inner Ernie Harwell!" The producers did an incredible job all around, great performances from the lead actors, excellent score and cinematography.
Yes thanks!
Yes, yes, cut the drabble, what I want to know is ....who won the game !
@@lw216316 Heeheehee!
Lovely film, goes to show that special effects need to serve the story and not the other way around. We need more of these
Ernie!
The best part of this is that the women were all acting only slightly odd, and it is up to your interpretation to decide if they are actually human or not. You get the idea they may have been aliens but if they were, they were used to masquerading as humans. All that's really important in the end is that these two characters are incredibly endearing.
Thanks! Perfectly sums up the writer's and director's intentions.
"The best part of this is that the women were all acting only slightly odd, and it is up to your interpretation to decide if they are actually human or not. ... they may have been aliens ... " ... this is the case not just in this film, but in real life in general as well. 🤣🤣
We assimilate well, usually takes about 18 months. We do have difficulty with humor, especially satire and hyperbole, and passion but we're getting there. 👽🖖
It is amazing how people can come up with really nice films here on KZhead yet, there is so much garbage in the theaters that we have to pay for. GOOD WORK!
You this actually felt like a legit 1990 theater film.
Agreed. Good, solid actors. Cinematography excellent. Them 2 babes could have taken the film off in other directions.
Yes, too much of what is presented is thinly veiled propaganda with little plot or entertainment value
What garbage in the theater are you referring to, O grammar challenged one? I wish these Dust films published their budgets, I think it would be interesting to illustrate what can be done on a micro budget; less than one million, sometimes only $100,000 grant or so.
So true!👍
At last - a sci-fi movie with no "enigmatic" ending, just a proper short story. EXCELLENT.
no "enigmatic" ending?! lol. maybe you need to watch it again, Earl. I guess technically it was an enigmatic middle..
I can now die happy knowing I've seen an encounter with aliens involving the phrase, "Maybe you should poke it with a stick." (laughing)
and then pokes it with a stick...
Poking with stick BAD!!! Just watch the BLOB!!!
@@justtired5535 Yeah, that never turns out well.
A reference to 'The Blob', perhaps?
@@justtired5535 definitely 😜
"We's all astronauts!" One thought brilliantly brought to life.
And time travellers even if it is forward
We bounce up and down by about 100 light years as we orbit the galaxy. As we do so we come quite close to other stars, meaning that colonising the galaxy might not be quite as difficult as it presently seems.
@@pineapplepenumbra we have gone from flying bits of wood and canvas to going to the moon and back in less than 100 years what might happen in the next 100 years
@@srgmiller340 Well, one of the Wright brothers said that there would never be a non stop flight from New York to London, as it would be impossible to build an engine that could run at high enough revs, and be reliable enough, for the 4 days needed, so here's hoping that we make similar jumps over the next few centuries (assuming we don't wipe ourselves, or "just" our civilisation, out first).
@@pineapplepenumbra Yes here's hoping we don't
I was waiting for the bull and cow to turn up, meaning they'd barbecued and eaten the remains of an alien.
HA! I like it!
That my friend, would have been a great plot twist..!! I like it.. :)~
That would be a big WTF moment
Same
Is David T a nom de plume for M. Night Shyamalan?
I like the line from the agents that your cooperation though mandatory is appreciated. Lol
Just about every line was a gem! :)
i liked that too. i also liked the line they gave - "we are not trained to respond to that." sounds like a bureaucracy run amok, indeed. its something i hear from public and private sector bureaucrats all the time.
My drill sergeant used to say : you two maggots , volunteer !
Same when I was in the army. We need 3 volunteers - you, you, and you come!
"I suppose that's the government for ya."
This film is enjoyable, but that score is absolutely beautiful.
"we are not trained to respond to that" YEP, that's tech support.
They was aliens!
@@stuartkcalvin - that's what I wanted to say/write. :-)
@@stuartkcalvin LOL no just federal agents total morons when it comes to basic things, but can talk tech for days.
Except tech support is not fluent in English
LOL
This needs to be a full length comedy scifi movie! With these guys as the lead actors!
yeah absoluty :D
Dumb and Dummer was enough for me ~
@@theothertroll well, if they made this a full length movie, it would be like The Beverly Hillbillies meets Star Trek! 😂
Tucker and Dale vs evil
this was very creative and thought out. i really liked it.
Now this was simply put, damn good! No crazy special efx no giant budget. Just a very good story acted out well. I really enjoyed this.
Thanks for the kind words 😊
And I think the score was excellent!
Funny how this holds your attention to the end and the conclusion is true. We are all of us Astronauts.
Laughed my ass off we need more adventures of Earl and Joel
Time stamp of one thing that was funny. Just one. "Laughed your ass off" my butt!
I second this, make it a series!
Its funny how some movies need 3 hours to tell a story. This one was done in 15 minutes and was better! Simple story, characters you cared about and a plot that comes back around that hits you in the feels to complete the story. Yall did a great job!
"Hello, space.....come in, over!" "This is Joel McNutt.....to space!" 😆
"I suppose that's the government for you, Joel" - it was worth it to watch for this line.
It's so funny that the guy was trying to contact Aliens and the brother only retort was does he have to do it now... Blow my mind
The most unbelievable part is that a rancher would still be asleep when it’s broad daylight outside lol
Probably did his chores and went back to bed :)
For real
Very pleasant film. The 'women in black' were obviously aliens. 'Not trained to respond to that' was a good hide but gave it away to those who listen.
"we are not given to know how our word will respond" (c) I thought it was just a good ironic joke :)
they weren't aliens but all too human bureacrats trained to disconnect from and disregard the problems of others. sounds like a bureaucracy run amok, indeed. its something i hear from public and private sector bureaucrats all the time. "sorry, we're trained not to care."
God is real. This film is j only fictional
@@cjmacq-vg8um Nope it was a dig at the Men in Black and how they seem to make nonsensical statements to those they interact with. Did the black suits and deadpan expressionless overly pale faces not give it away!!??
@@fortawesome1974 ... in case you missed it, men in black was about bureaucrats. the men in black were ULTRA-bureaucrats. the ladies in this film, as i said, were the epitome of bureaucracy. just like the men in black.
At 5:16 you see Joel put a strainer on his head. Obviously a Pastafarian; worshiper of The Flying Spaghetti Monster.
you dropped your fedorae
All hail the Holy Flying Spaghettis Monster!!
Pastafarians are everywhere….. Wonder if polycarbonate colanders work as well as aluminum ones….. Is there anybody out there? 😎
🤣😂😂
I like the fact that Earl has a hat for relaxing, listening to the radio and a work hat for chasing off alien trespassers yet both hats are nearly identical.
Now that's entertainment. Simple plot, characters true to form.
"We're sittin' on a front seat of a planet -- shootin' it's way all across space 🌌... " Very nice.
I thought it would have a twist, but nope. Can't believe there's hundreds of people involved in this, looking at the credits.
How the hell does this channel only have 1.47k subscribers? This content is better than 98% of the entirety of the KZhead library....and that remaining 2% are really going to have to compete not to be left in the dust as well.... This is amazingly good content. .. and is a very well crafted work. I am a long time fan of science fiction short stories and this is absolute A-grade sci fi short story material albeit in a film format. I'd recommend everyone subscribe and bell. This is REALLY good. PS: The "Government" agents in stewardess uniforms are hilarious.... "we have not been trained to respond to that, your country thanks you"
Never thought of it as that! Front seat driving the coolest ship around! Earth Dam! It sure is cool!
Great to see a production so down-to-earth about two guys out there in the wild. Not heroes , just ordinary guys. No earth invasion, no interstellar stuff with high-powered laser weapons and whatever else optical illusions that we see nowadays.
Yeah, but if I tried putting in a fence post the way that guy Earl was... it'll take a year to go around my garden!
@@Lavonne9870 He was actually trying to dig a post hole with it. Very imaginative, but not too effective.
One of the most detailed CGI I've ever seen from tracks across the field to star's that are proper looking, One day we won't be able to tell the difference between the real thing or CGI .Great job and very down to earth and lets face it every one has ran into a Earl or two at some point very funny.Awesome job keep them coming Thanks I look forward to future videos.. I'd love to see what ya'll could do with a hour long movie maybe a sequel
@@robertlewis1875no, he not digging a post hole...he's using the pipe with handles to drive the posts into the ground. It's a common tool, I've used one to do the same...
Siri needs to start responding “We are not trained to respond to that”. Also you had me at … poke it with a stick, sums us up as humans.
lol yeah , its what I would do
The saying should be curiosity killed the human not the cat.
Remember what happened in the movie "The Blob"! Poking with stick bad!
"I ain't pokin' it with no stick." Two seconds later, pokes it with a stick. The female NASA (or whatever) techs...right..."We are not trained to respond to that. Your country thanks you!" Music at the 9:10 mark sounds like something out of Beetlejuice. This is like Tucker and Dale vs The Aliens. Brilliant!
Absolutely outstanding. Not a single second that was misplaced or misdirected or poorly acted or underperforming. Absolutely outstanding. How can I see more from the producers of this?
What I appreciate most about this short film is how outstandingly the characters are developed in such a brief span of time. I've seen 2 hour films that developed their characters less. I actually got a lump in my throat during that BBQ scene, too. Also, the production quality was incredible and the actors did a wonderful job. Bravo! My theory is those are space chicks from another planet who don't even know what a cow is. :)
they seemed pretty odd to me.
@@fryloc359 just one more mystery in a night of mysterious doings...
@@fryloc359 "We're not trained to respond to that!" Anyways, in this situation, harmed animal remains would also be picked up (removed form the scene) to prevent cross-species contamination.
The best thing I’ve seen on Dust in a while, and a beautiful score.
Thank you so much
'We're sitting on the front seat of a planet...' What a great way to describe our connection to the galaxy. It certainly puts everything into perspective. Most would say that's a joke, or the writer is a fool. Think what you will, but it does make you realise not only how small we and this planet are, but how we should see our place relative to this massive environment.
Thank you Carl and Joel. What a beautiful analogy. We are all truly astronauts traveling through space on a very large space ship. Again I thank you. I just subscribed.
Yep. Me too.
Earl.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this short film. It should be a movie. I'd pay to watch this..!! Well done guys..!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I totally agree. A brilliant and funny piece of artwork.
It didn't occur to them to question why a "weather satellite" had a CLAW on it?
Well, when they lift it at 10:05, it does read "[something] weather NOW" at it's side. But I think it could be military satellite in disquise, whose purpose is making entry on enemy satellites.
I'd like to know how a weather satellite survived reentry and collision with the ground completely intact and still functional.
@@jdlech it was made from a very strong space-age material
@@jdlech there was a bull and cow acting as a shock absorber
There were a couple-3 logic holes, but I couldn't mentally examine them because all I could think about was why Earl was digging a hole with a fence stake pounder-inner (that's the technical name).
This is one of the best short films ever! You can't help but be endeared by the characters and the story is solid as they come. This needs to be a fully fledged offering.
Wow! Thanks for the kind words
@@Moviebratspictures Thanks to you and your team! For bringing us, yours & teams skills, talent and story making.
@@warrenpoultney8215 why are you talking to yourself, it's not only obvious but also quite embarrassing.
@@stupidas9466 What? Talking to myself? Oh... are you implying that I'm the creator of this short film, that this is a fake profile for the purpose of giving kudos to my own work? Sorry, I hate to disappoint you. But no.
@@Moviebratspictures Would love to see a comedy feature with Earl and Joel.
"We are not trained to respond to that". Unprecedented! This is all kind of politics and social behavior in one phrase.
That guy has one helluva good brother.
This is actually quite perfect. No surprises. A little mystery. Just normal. Made me laugh at English subtitles while speaking English.
No surprises? I will mystery? Since when have you ever seen a “radioactive weather Satellite“ that attacks you if you touch it with a stick? LOL
The best home made helmet I have ever seen in my life
That photography of the farm at the beginning was remarkable !
“Do you have to do it now....?, couldn’t stop laughing..
Why?
Omg! That is brilliant! Auto ironic and very intelligent story done in absolutely awesome way. Really good acting as a cherry on the top of cake!
What a great film. It was impeccably written, filmed, and acted. I'm still smiling, it's so sweet.
"I guess we is, ain't we". If there's a Joel McNutt Fan Club on this planet, they can take my money right now.
The gals at the end: obviously aliens. Heck, most women act like they’re from outer space anyway.
Space Babes?
What, like men are any more "down to earth"? We're all freakin aliens man.
@Jack Strawb Racial paranoia much? Poor little white guy. (yeah, I'm white too... minus the victim delusion.)
@@theobserver9131 / Crack a beer and relax
Nah. Bureaucrats!
Hear hear you filmmakers out there! What a real and original orchestral score can do for your project. It's stunning and it really raises the entire quality of the film itself.
Thanks for the shout out to the score!
Poking with a stick had been humanity's go-to for hundreds of thousands of years. Let's just ride the horse that got us here.
I thought their bull would wander up to the porch at the end. Then they would realize that they just ate an alien. Great movie!
Well done to everyone involved. Definitely duality film making. Live long and keep shooting!
What a lovely, philosophical ending.
“I’m tryin’ to contact me an alien race, Earl.” “Well, do you have to do it now?!” 🤣
"a bull and a cow together, what's the chance of that? Now I've seen everything!" ... Best line ever!
That was brilliant guys. Very well done.
That was a great story and short movie. I love it. I would love to see more.
Poking it with a stick was so funny…grew up being told I’d poke a snake with a stick just to satisfy my curiosity! Wonderful video!
😁
Hahaha! “We are not trained to respond to that,” a good comeback line in any situation!
Quite nice but, to be honest, I was expecting at the end, when they show the sky, to see something like a Saturn very close or a double red moon showing they were actually not on Earth :)
Would have been even better perhaps, had they shown them eventually seeing Earth.
Terrible idea.
yes, but a twist at the end would've made for a completely different film. i think the director and writer were going for "awe," rather than a surprise twist. i think it worked real well. but i caught one flaw that should've been caught. the word "astronaut" in the script should've been changed to "asternaut," to reflect the title. otherwise the title makes no sense.
@@cjmacq-vg8um The "It's really another planet" twist is a cliché that's been used many times, that I first saw on _The Twilight Zone_ in the early '60s. But it was probably used before then. The filmmaker was wise to steer clear of it.
@@robertlewis1875 ... i agree. its an overused plot device. its kinda like cheating. the writer can't find an ending to their story so - hey, it was all a dream, another earth, a parallel universe, etc. its called "hack writing." there's an old truism in hollywood that says - anyone can write a good beginning to a story. but writing a good ending, that's the hard part. sometimes the best endings are the most mundane. i think this film did it right.
This was great! Way above average for these KZhead shorts!
I only watched this because I was waiting for my dinner, I had time to kill, I could've mowed the lawn, I could've strummed my telecaster, I could've stared out at this drab rainy Irish august evening and sighed despondently ,but no not me , I clicked on to this cinematic oddity and was left think...... Well I was left thinking and pondering , and on a rainy Irish august evening that's not the worst thing you could do, (pubs are closed anyway). Think I'll make a big ham sandwich and an even bigger mug of tae now and laugh at the tiny part I play in this universe, then it's off to bed and up for work and so onn ad infinitum..........
"cause whatever it is it's tresspassin" I love that line.
"Your cooperation, though mandatory, ls appreciated."
What they will say at the next virus outbreak.
Joel is the best character in sci fi in a looooong time. A true hero.... (least to me)
Excellent script writer! " I guess we is...ain't we?" Lmao.
1:10 This is how living in a Soviet-built apartment bloc feels like, with neighbours drilling into walls and remodelling their flats all the time. /s
Excellent work. The acting, the script, even the cinematography, just very well done.
pure the best film i seen for a while. the ending where they are sat in the driving seat is classic
Thanks for bringing back the oldschool way of filmmaking, every second of it, felt nostalgic, except the camera of course, but really good. Its like I watched some Spielberg short
"Hello, this is earth come in, over." Very sincere he is, LOL
Pacing was perfect. A modern audience would call it slow, because many of them were raised on Power Rangers, Sponge Bob, and Backyardigans. The scene with the vehicles was reminiscent of the G-men from E.T. mixed with M.I.B. The score was superb, and reminded me of the quality of music from Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
Not enough pew pew either...
Yeah, Eb, you're the only one who can appreciate it.
Love , love, loved it. Simply pure and funny. Almost made me cry at the end
Thanks for watching! Nothing makes us happier than to hear from viewers that they were moved by our stories. Thank you
We are all astronauts. A beautiful message.
They should show these at a movie theater, before the actual movie 🍿🍿🍿
That was delightful! Moral: There are dreamers and doers ... the “what if’s?” and “what is’s”. They’re all good ... for both can see beauty, wonder and majesty in universe’s firmament. Jess not thuh sayme. I do hafta say this ... aftur watch’n th’ credits, shore takes lots of you city folk to knowd wut jess two cunchee fellers do.
Firmament? Isn't that a flat earth concept?
@@theobserver9131 your point being??
John, you seem a little defensive about an attitude that doesn't generally exist in urban/suburban dwellers. It suggests a bit of regional snobbery.
What a lovely, entertaining, little movie. I really enjoyed it.
10:42 "We are not trained to respond to that." Your country thanks you!" 😂 I'm gonna somehow use this.
Loved the two brothers and how they even bickered like brothers. What a smartly written script!
I'd watch these pair in a series! good job
Alright I’m convinced this based on a true story! 👽 😂
There's 16 minutes of my life I will never get back
Wow! This is as light heartedly funny as it is tragically revealing of the human condition.
Life is all about love . And I love this! It's crazy, it's funny, it's witty. And it's brave to be human after all! 👍 😁 10 out of 10 points! Thank you!
Wow! Thank you. And well said!
Good work all around on this. You guys deserve a comment and boost in the algorithm!
Next, the sequel where the brothers discover their new super-powers.
I loved the smile on his brothers face. Loved it short and sweet.
So, I googled "geostationary meteorological satellite 216 B4 C10" and got bupkis (it's a slow night). And come to think of it, falling all the way to Earth from a geostationary orbit, that's a heck of a long way (i.e. a little too much energy loss there). And those ladies talked funny. Something fishy here. It was a good little video, I enjoyed it!
Satellites have names and element set object numbers that are both distinct to that object. A broken apart rocket body would have two numbers for the two pieces. It would have been simple for them to use the correct terminology. A geostationary satellite would probably take tens of thousands of years to de-orbit if ever.
Those women were totally aliens in disguise! Recapturing their own before someone else got to it. There's lots of hints....
A) How have I not seen this before now? B) Everyone was great, but Wray Crawford needs to be a star. Freakin awesome.
Wow! Thank you! Surely, Wray couldn't agree more ;)
- maybe u should poke it with a steeyick -i ain't pokin it with no steeyick Proceeds to poke it with a steeyick My favorite lol
Now that's an epiphany I never imagined? And what a kind thing to say to his Brother? This was Marvelous.
Professional work! Loved everything .💓
All I can say is that this short was awesome! It was funny and real, the meat didn’t go to waste, and their view was spectacular. I also really enjoyed the end credits sequence. There is some real talent in putting everything together. Great entertainment for sure, I can sure see bigger productions in the future.
Wow! Thank you so much
10:43 "We are not trained to respond to that" - Perfect!!
Oh and I know it was a short presentation but that had the structure for a much longer film. Really enjoyed it. Thanks and Kudos to all envolved
What a fun, silly, and sweet movie! Just let your imagination go and bless Earl!
Glad you enjoyed it
So sooo good! Acting, writing, direction, music, the feels, everything. Thank you for this gem right here, it made my day :D
Wow! Thank you!
At the very end after Earl said "that hamburger was really good",I thought Joel was going to say " that cow we ate is standin over yonder , Earl. "
That drill at the start 😏🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣hope didn't wake you up. Awesome!!!