A Short that packs a big punch Double Helix

by Kathia Woods

Double Helix is a science fiction film from Chinese writer/director Qiu Sheng. His 2018 feature film, Suburban Birds, was a quiet film with an increasing sense of magic realism. Double Helix has some of the same characteristics. This film is subtle and challenging film at times.

The story centers on a teenager Yun and her sibling Yuan. They sneak into the luggage compartment of a bus. The circumstances that inspired this sudden act are recalled via flashbacks.

As the film moves forward it become clear that the siblings aren’t humans but some type of artificial intelligence. They are robots made to characterize human behavior.

Double Helix focuses on one targeted violent tragedy. It purposely isn’t over the top. The film uses emotional patience and like many science fiction films takes its time. The differentiation is purposeful between fantasy and reality. It challenges us to ask what is real.

Double Helix has strong performances and great cinematography by Xu Ranjun. The one drawback is that the film is too short. This film deserved more time to flush out its ideas and fully develop the characters. This film had the making of a feature but the constraints of a short.

Let this be the foundation for a longer conversation.