Sci-Fi FF 2022 Film Review - Dome House Six

Images courtesy of the Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival.

Dome House Six, a wonderfully post-utopia dystopia, avoids predictability in this bloated Aussie feature. In what can light-heartedly be described as ‘the accident’, civilisation crumbles into a windy wasteland after something happened with the oxygen, and  only those lucky enough to have secured a dome home-protection unit survived Armageddon. 

The theme of boredom is toyed with as Sidney, a former-wastelander, lives with Micah, an architect of the dome houses, as the two run through the same algorithmic monotony that Micah thrives in. This routine fit for a machine bases the narrative firmly in the ‘nature vs. technology’ camp, as wanderers are terrifying, and the security of the dome wholesome… Until Sidney begins yearning for change. 

This lust leads her down a rabbit hole fit for a head scratcher as humanity eventually supersedes the debate contextualising the film – an intro that spends far too long relishing its own creativity hinders the productivity of this intrigue however, and the characters at the heart of the film rest neglected until finally given the keys for the narrative’s driver seat just in time for curiosity to rebirth. 

Dome House Six does not need to be almost two hours long, but it is, and you’ll feel the heavy grind of set-up weighing down the potential of its unique premise in the beginning before an unwelcome return around the half-way mark. The central plot, a futuristic dome with in-built AI coupled with a low-key romantic thriller lulled me into a smug sense of ‘I know what’s going to happen next’, before thoroughly ripping the carpet out from underneath me with an unexpectedly satisfying ending which, as is the case with most bloated films, felt rushed. 

A lesson in frustration is to be observed with Dome House Six, from the uncomfortable-on-purpose-but-almost-too-uncomfortable scenes of romance, the missed potential with expanding the world as opposed to over-establishing its foundation, and the break-neck pace as it enters in the final quarter. Nothing is done perfectly, and nothing mishandled irreparably either, leaving the film stuck firmly in the territory  of mediocrity and serving as little more than a test-run for its talented cast and creative director. 

I’ll say this though: Dome House Six scared me for the first time in a long time, and I didn’t even realise I was terrified until I felt the sweat built across my forehead - another testament to the untapped potential of those involved with its creation.

Dome House Six screened as part of the 2022 Melbourne Science Fiction Film Festival. For more info, click here.