Synopsis
What would you do to bring someone back? How far would you go? Phasma Ex Machina explores the grey area between life and death and how science may be the bridge between the two. A young man named Cody, tasked with raising his younger brother James after the death of their parents, plunges himself into the murky science of the supernatural. Ignoring his responsibilities as a caretaker, Cody invents a machine he intends to be a conduit to the other side. In his pursuit to build the device he befriends an affable electrical engineer named Tom who has his own tale of love and loss. Cody eventually reaches an unintended level of success that not only threatens his safety, but also the well-being of James and Tom. He quickly learns that the supernatural isn’t all that super and human nature can even be worse.
Phasma Ex Machina is a testament to what can be accomplished with a great idea, smart production priorities, and talented individuals all working toward one common goal.
Production Stills
What they’re saying:
I found the concept–the tragedy we invite when we play God with the Other Side–absolutely intriguing and thought-provoking and the film eerie in the very ordinariness of the setting and characters.
- Dan Sullivan
Mr. Sullivan is director of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. He is a former theater critic for the the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
Five Most Frequently Asked Questions About Phasma Ex Machina
What does “Phasma Ex Machina” mean and why use something so weird?
a. It’s Latin and is loosely translated as “Ghost from the Machine”
b. The film deals with technology and Latin is the language of science
c. It’s a play off of the term “Deux Ex Machina”, however it’s not so much a plot device as it is a character motivation and a slight nod to Aristotle
d. Some people don’t like it. That’s a good thing.
e. It beats the hell out of “Finding Apparitions” or some other nonsense, right?
How long did it take to write, shoot, and edit the whole thing?
a. One year to write the first draft (nights and weekends)
b. One year of re-writes, fundraising, and preproduction
c. 17 days of on-set production
d. 5 months of editing (nights and weekends)
Where did you (Matt Osterman – writer/director/editor) get your inspiration for the film?
“I like the big questions. There’s not much more intriguing than what happens after we die. If there is an afterlife is purely spiritual? Is Criss Angel waving a plastic wand as you float off to the 24th dimension? Maybe the supernatural is still relegated to the league of the unknown because science hasn’t figured out a way to get it to waltz with the scientific method yet. That and ghosts are creepy”.
What other movies/shows is it like?
Always a tough question, but probably: Primer, Sixth Sense, Poltergeist, Solaris, Twilight Zone episodes, and Freddy Got Fingered
Is the machine real? Could it actually work?
The machine is not real, but it is based on supernatural theoretical science. If the supernatural does indeed exist and someone was to actually create a working model, then of course it would absolutely work. I mean ghosts and machines go together like ninjas and pirates or zombies and robots. They’re all just two sides to the same metaphysical coin. Right? What was the question?
