INFINI

Australia, 2015, 110 minutes, Colour.
Daniel Mac Pherson, Grace Huang, Luke Hemsworth, Bren Foster, Luke Ford, Dwaine Stevenson, Harry Pavlidis.
Directed by Shane Abbess.

Infini is the work of Shane Abbess, the co-writer and director. He had written and directed some short films and the feature film about angels and demons, Gabriel. After Infini he went on to further science fiction with a more famous cast, SFvI.

The production values for this science fiction are very good, planets and spacecraft and travel at the end of the 21st century, dangers with humans, experimentation, playing with people’s bodies and minds.

Daniel Mac Pherson is a soldier, an astronaut, with a pregnant wife, his colleagues at the Western Sector disappear and he is sent on a mission to a distant planet. In the Eastern sector, a team is briefed and is sent to the planet, Infini, to bring back Carmichael. Their absence is only about a minute or so – but extended on the planet to 24 hours.

The eerie aspects of the film are the planet itself, spacecraft, abandoned, bodies found, laboratories for experiments discovered. Eventually Carmichael reveals himself and there are attempts to divert a payload intended for the Pacific Ocean and plans to return to base. However, all is not well and some of the living dead attack and the crew are infected and many turn on each other. Carmichael survives and is in despair, Reading a note, slitting his wrist – but suddenly the blood reverts and the whole crew come alive again, back to normal.

There is some momentary tension at the end when they all deny that they had been infected and it seems that Carmichael will be exposed – but not, and returns happily to his pregnant wife.

1. The popularity of this kind of science fiction? Futuristic science fiction? The 23rd century? The influence of the tradition of space exploration, menace of creatures in space, human experimentation gone beyond?

2. The time period, costumes and decor? The information about the period, transportation and time, data and its communication? The outlying planets?

3. The visuals of the Western sector, Eastern sector, the laboratories, the spacecraft, waiting rooms? Briefing rooms? The visuals of the isolated planet, the interiors, eerie, the corpses, the mayhem, the technical aspects? The experiments and the paraphernalia? Musical score?

4. The title, the name of the remote planet?

5. The introduction to Whit Carmichael, the implant in his back, giving information and codes? His relationship with his wife, her pregnancy, promising to come back from his mission? The discussions with the other members of the mission, suspicions, the attack, disappearances?

6. His going to Infini, his mission, the destruction of the Western sector, The eastern sector and sending the team to rescue him?

7. The range of characters in the group, the captain as leader, the men, the women? The briefing, the time absent, the extended time away?

8. Arrival, searching the planet, the craft, the technical aspects, no one alive, the corpses, the mystery, the shredded skin, the atmosphere? Using the
computer and the questioning?

9. Carmichael and his presence, revealing himself, the group and their suspicions? His promise for getting rid of the payload destined for San Francisco? His work at the computers? Sending Menzies downstairs, the discussions about their daughters? His working the machines? Diverting the payload?

10. Things going wrong, the emergence of the zombie-like creatures, the attacks, the crew being infected, the results, turning on each other? Menzies and his coming up, pulling the gun, his suspicions? Being shot by Carmichael?

11. Huntington, surviving, his suspicious behaviour, the gun, the threats, recording the message for his children? Exploring, the fight with Carmichael, the vivid detail?

12. Claire, her surviving, the others, the transformations?

13. Carmichael, his eyes, seeming infection? His wanting to leave the planet?

14. The jolt in time, his cutting his wrist, the note, the blood reverting, everybody coming alive, not remembering what had happened, leaving the planet –
and the appearance of the ghostly creatures, with the note?

15. The return, the testing for infections, the interrogations, the tests? Carmichael and the suspicions, the testing, his eyes – and his passing?

16. The return, reunited with his wife? Indications of the future?