Houston?

Joe is left stranded alone on an old run down space station, one of many orbiting the once blue planet. All his attempts to reach the base in Houston or the other stations has been met with static noise. In an effort to escape his loneliness and the fear of his inevitable doom he finds comfort in a collection of picture ads from the 50s. Joe spends his days busying himself with cooking, cleaning, and doing that what he imagines a housewife in the 50s would have done, anything to drown out the constant howling and screeching of the dying station. One day the neighboring station crashes into the atmosphere, revealing a string of stations in the distance who will all be sharing the same fate. Then suddenly he sees a blinking light coming from one of the now revealed stations. A signal! Joe struggles to decipher the message but it makes no sense to him. So, he is left with a choice; go back to his comfortable 50s room or risk everything and attempt to reach the station.

Director’s statement
It all started one summer night with a mysterious light from the sea. Then came Joe's small voice, "Houston, can you hear me?" It was a quiet whisper on the wind, but I did hear him. That night I started writing Joe's story, but it wasn't until writing this that I realized that it was my story.
"Houston?" is about exploring aloneness and the fear of the passing time, that makes us flee and hide in our fantasy through contrasts. The main conflict in the story is the need for action, the station is crumbling and Joe needs a way out, and the inability to do so, because of overwhelming fear. I want this theme of contrasts and opposing ideas to shine through all layers of the film. This transfers to the visual and sound plane, with a play between 16mm and digital images, and silence and noise respectively.
We have all stranded parts of ourselves at one point or another, and I am excited to finally answer Joe's call.