Premiere:
Oct 29, 2025
Country of origin: UK
Directed by:
Various
Written by: Various
Distributed by: Cine
Circle
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama,
Anthology
Runtime:
77min
Starring:
Various
Merge
is a sci-fi anthology film exploring a common theme of future
technology and its effect on humanity. The
shorts span from 2021 to 2023 and come from different countries such
as Austria, UK and USA. Rather than feeling commissioned as one
unified project, it feels like a carefully gathered collection that
fits together naturally. I would love to see more anthology films
like this.
One thing I noticed right away was the lack of an opening title
card. The film simply starts with the first short, which felt a bit
strange.
01 – Angst (2021, Austria)
Director and
Writer: Béla Baptiste
Length: 10 minutes
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11775300
This short hooks you immediately with a world that appears perfect
on the surface. Beneath that utopian look, something feels wrong. The
use of digital backgrounds creates an uncanny atmosphere that
supports the story very well. In just ten minutes, it explores how
fragile perfection really is and leaves behind a quiet unease that
lingers after it ends.
02 – Soulmate (2023, UK)
Director and
Writer: Richard Fenwick
Length: 15 minutes
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16310522
We follow Anna, who works at a digital social platform company
called “Synaptic – Beyond AI”. She becomes increasingly
involved in the virtual world, to the point where it starts affecting
her real life. The storytelling is rich and believable, showing a
future that feels very close to what we already have today. Platforms
like Second Life comes to mind.
03 – When Unfettered (2023, USA)
Director
and Writer: Derek Franzese
Length: 12 minutes
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18271646
This one hit me the hardest. We follow Ash, an AI caregiver for an
elderly man. After his death, his daughters no longer want her
around. The short raises classic questions about artificial
intelligence. Do AI feel? Do they dream? It echoes themes explored by
Philip K. Dick.
There are subtle Blade Runner vibes, mostly through the
music, while the visual tone feels lighter and reminded me of
Detroit: Become Human. The acting is strong and the story is
emotionally grounded. It is unfortunately a bit short, but I would
absolutely love to see this expanded into a full-length movie.
04 – The First Time I Never Met You (2024, UK)
Director
and Writer: Eric Kole
Length: 14 minutes
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14253218
John has a loving family but is completely consumed by work.
Through experiments involving flowers, he finds himself traveling
back in time. The reasons are unclear at first, which adds to the
emotional weight. This is a tragic and thoughtful story about choices
people dream of making but never truly can. It leaves you questioning
whether changing the past is something we should ever attempt. Well
made. This short could also work very well as a full-length film.
05 – Subscribed (2022, USA)
Director:
Diana Porter
Writer: Mikel J. Wisler
Length: 10 minutes
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15286106
This short opens like a commercial for an AI assistant company
called “Vitalus”. We follow Carol, who is isolated in her home
due to quarantine. What starts as helpful AI assistance slowly
becomes something more unsettling. What might be the reason?
With real-world AI assistants like Siri, ChatGPT, Gemnie, Grok and
more already being part of daily life, this short feels uncomfortably
realistic. There was no title card at the beginning, which initially
confused me. I first thought the short was called
Vitalus.
Later I discovered the actual title is
Subscribed. The
realism here is what makes it scary. An interesting detail is that
the director Diana Porter also plays the lead role.
06 – The Man Behind the Machine (2023, UK)
Director
and Writer: Dalano Barnes
Length: 15 minutes
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21249986
Another AI-focused story, this one follows an older second-hand
shop dealer whose AI assistant is suddenly taken away. The assistant
is one of the first hundred of its kind. The story asks familiar but
still powerful questions. Do AI have feelings or is it all just
programming?
The short moves quickly and ends almost too soon, but the idea is
strong. Watching AI struggle with reality always raises the question
of what reality even means.
Overall Impressions
All of the shorts are well made. Some have higher production value
than others, but none felt weak or careless. My favorite was When
Unfettered because it feels grounded in a reality that is
already forming around us.
What really stands out across the collection is how little of this
feels like distant science fiction. We are already living in this
world. AI assistants are part of everyday life now. I chat with
ChatGPT almost every day, sometimes about lingering questions,
sometimes just random thoughts. The idea of having an AI assistant
moving around my home does not feel out of the question.
That is where the real dilemma appears. How safe are we with AI
around us. Our phones already observe us constantly. Shorts like
Subscribed show how easily helpful technology can shift into
something controlling. That is what makes it unsettling. It feels
real.
All of the directors appear to be indie filmmakers. Some have
worked on larger productions in assistant roles or as actors, but
none seem to have directed major studio films yet. That is not
negative. It actually makes the collection more interesting. I hope
several of these filmmakers move on to larger projects, especially a
full-length version of When Unfettered.
One thing that still stands out is the lack of an intro or closing
title for the collection. Seeing the Merge title at the
beginning or the end would have helped tie everything together. It
was nice to see full credits for all the shorts in the end,
appreciated.
I give it 8/10, This is a thoughtful and engaging
sci-fi anthology that encourages reflection rather than spectacle.
These stories feel less like science fiction and more like a glimpse
of a very near future.
Article written by: Sonny Mikszath
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