There are officials and leaders in roles specifically made to protect us, and we may never know how many are in charge of our safety. In Paul Franklin’s short film, Fireworks, tense negotiations are underway to strike down a potential target. What transpires throughout this taut thriller might make you questions worldwide events on the news.
The operations deck of an MI6 team is brimming with anticipation as a dangerous individual arriving at a Tripoli marketplace. Ops leader, Gillian (played by Charlotte Riley) wants to get the job done, and she trusts her team to make it all happen together. Thanks to Virtual Production technology, the team can see, in real-time, the area that would be affected if they give the go ahead for a drone strike. Would leaders make devastating choices if they saw the faces of those who would perish at the hands of collateral damage.
Denise Gough’s Ellie arrives in the office, and she goes toe-to-toe with Gillian, and the women face to make the best decision and save the highest number of innocent lives possible. The ops room is a place where individuals decide who lives and who dies halfway around the world, and Ellie barges into the office, frustrated that her grocer can’t get her online order correct. Gough is such an incredible talent (check out FX’s Under the Banner of Heaven if you need more convincing), so it’s exciting to see her on screen.
Many thrillers about war and life or death situations feature men yelling at one another and getting blue in the face. The simple change to have Riley and Gough butt heads makes Fireworks feel all the more refreshing.
Fireworks can be watched as part of Tribeca’s at-home pass.
