Phillip K Dick's Electric Dreams adapts short story into moving picture - review of "Human Is"

Promo image from Amazon Prime Video Service

Since Philip K Dick is one of my favourite Authors (and that assessment is based on a single book alone, the venerable Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) - the adaptations of some of his short stories into single episode screenplays existing was a fact I was very happy to become aware of.

Philip K Dick's Electric Dreams is a show that does exactly this - and presents a number of stories in the context of short film.

I elected to start with "Human Is", because I know the context of this short story, having recently experienced the Audio Book version of it. This one certainly embellishes on the text quite a bit, introducing elements that look good for the screen, but I heavily question their relevance in the storyline.

There is still the cold, indifferent husband, but the suggestion, and direct depiction of extra-marital affairs is unnecessary for this science fiction story, which is fundamentally about an cold, borderline abusive partner, a strained relationship, and a planet on the brink of running out of resources.

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An expedition to elsewhere occurs, and it appears that everyone perishes. Until, it becomes apparent that they haven't.

Philip K Dick is nothing if ever prophetic, though, much of this is noting new. This story acts as more of a prequel for the short story in its opening scenes, and its depictions of everyday life, intersected with conflict, loss, uncertainty and loss, stays true to Dick's style of storytelling.

The visual style of this episode is sharp, angular, and textured. The casting, which mainly consists of older actors and actresses is mature and measured. These are absolute professionals depicting characters in serious, measured ways. There is no corny acting to be found here.

For something that was to be episodic, disconnected stories, the sets are surprisingly detailed, painting more detail than I was able to pick up in the short story.

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The man's experience returns him home changed, forgetful of his experiences, and what follows is the real story.

It isn't as simple to follow as something like a typical Black Mirror episode, and the pacing is far more subdued, with slow, lingering shots on details that embellish detail.

The exploration of Silas and Vera's "born again" relationship is the central point of tension in this episode, and it is explored deeply, if only, to the viewer through lengthy glances and simple dialogue.

Knowing the short story adds a huge, additional sense of tension to the story, which might have a first time viewer / reader ask the ever present question of why? Which is, of course, this story's payoff.

Along the way, the production values are incredibly high, and the presentation, costumes, lighting and even the special effects are all top notch.

It makes me look forward to experiencing the others in the series, even if I am likely to do it in a crazy out of order sequence, as they are not connected at all.

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