All Things Blue

At just 9-years-old, Iza is a child like any other—playful and curious about the world around her. But for Iza, that world has changed. Unknown to her, an alien race has laid siege to Earth leaving civilisation in tatters and remnants of humanity fighting for survival.

But all Iza knows is that which her mother, Adel, tells her: That it’s dangerous outside. That a giant dragon prowls the skies, swooping down on unwary victims. And that her father left, like so many others, to fight the monster and restore order. That’s why they stay inside, retreating to a makeshift shelter whenever the beast draws near. With dwindling supplies and just a wind-up radio giving scattered reports from the outside, Adel seeks to survive as best she can—and protect her daughter from the awful truth.

Despite Adel’s warnings, Iza sneaks upstairs to peek from a window at a playground across the street—her mind casting back to a happier time spent playing with her father.

The moment is short-lived as Adel rushes in having overheard reports that the ‘dragon’ is close. They hurry to their shelter where Adel distracts Iza with stories and games. When a growing rumble signals the dragon’s approach, Adel covers Iza’s ears and eyes, keeping her from understanding the true nature of the danger and leaving us to guess at the terror beyond the walls.

With the danger having passed, Adel finds sleep. Iza sneaks back to the window where she sees a boy, Ted, a little older than herself in the playground below. Hungry for friendship, Iza slips from the house and joins him where, for a moment, their fears are cast aside as they take turns pushing one another on a roundabout.

When a plane passes overhead, Iza warns Ted of the dragon. Ted quickly dismisses any such talk of giant dragons, insisting that it’s a fighter plane—one of theirs. Iza is confused, further so when the wail of a siren causes Ted to flee and her mother to hurry from the house, frantically calling her home.

Once more, they shelter. Iza lost to a world of silence as Adel vies to hold her composure amid a steadily building rumble—like the gears of some terrible war machine grinding ever closer. Somewhere beyond, a battle rages. A desperate last stand against an unstoppable, unseen force. The sound reaches a climax—explosions—closer and closer.

Iza confides in her mother that she no longer believes in tales of dragons.

As a blinding light fills the room, Iza’s toy dragon teeters atop the table…

Fade out.