The Expanse

The Expanse
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Ava Hollingsworth
Story by	Ava Hollingsworth Matthew Burke
Produced by	Matthew Burke
Starring	Alex Grey
Cinematography	Gordon King
Edited by	Jessica Page Dale Barkley Olvier Beech
Music by	Lauren Little
Production companies	Logistics and production coordination: Novellan National Media Directorate Cinematography: Sydney Cinematographic Productions Effects: National Software Corporation (Creative Arts Division)
Distributed by	Novellan National Media Directorate
Release date	30 November 2023
Running time	127 minutes
Country	Novella Islands
Language	N/A
Budget	₦1.2 billion

Summary

The film unfolds as the lead character awakens to a featureless void of pure white light. With no memory or clues to their identity or circumstances, the protagonist embarks on an introspective journey through this unending blank canvas. Time and space blend into irrelevance, as the character's motions transform into a reflection on consciousness, and on existence itself.

The film explores the silence with powerful authenticity, utilising only the sounds of movement and breath to punctuate the vastness. Engaging with ephemeral objects that sporadically arise within the void - a floating cube, a withering flower, an inky black sphere - the protagonist unveils their tumult of emotions both through minute expressions of body language, and through sweeping impromptu dance, each act revealing layers of their humanity in the inhuman space they inhabit.

Progressing through further evocative encounters - a sudden deluge of vibrant hues, and the confrontation with a mirror reflecting endless copies of themself - the protagonist’s interactions elicit universal human feelings of discovery and wonder. The climax of the film is marked by a silent symphony of geometric shapes and colours crafted from the nothingness, culminating in a revelation of pure catharsis... only to dissolve back into the void, signifying both conclusion, and a new beginning.

IDU Film Festival 2023 Nomination

The film was nominated for Best Film for its "masterful visual storytelling that challenges and redefines conventional cinema, creating an immersive contemplative experience about the core of human identity".

Alex Grey was nominated for Best Lead Actor for their "delivering [of] a compelling performance purely through the art of non-verbal expression, evoking a wide array of human emotions and inviting the audience to project their interpretations onto the blank slate of the character".