Doors, directed by Jeff Desom, Saman Kesh, and Dugan O’Neal, and written by Desom, Kesh, O’Neal, Ed Hobbs, and Chris White, is a unique science fiction anthology film clocking in at 81 minutes, available on Amazon Prime.
The film proves to be a perplexing journey, with a collaborative narrative approach by a group of filmmakers—an unconventional choice in itself. What sets it apart is the intriguing interplay between its visually stunning elements and a somewhat lackluster scripting endeavor.
Structured in episodic chunks and connected by visuals of vacant spaces and cities, such as Los Angeles, London, and Copenhagen, the film raises curiosity about how such footage was captured with empty streets, especially considering the global context of Covid. The inclusion of a shock-jock DJ’s voice delivering exposition, occasionally duplicated with onscreen text, adds an unusual layer.
The opening segment introduces four high school students encountering an alien door—an enormous pulsating mass with strange cilia, appearing globally and causing a phenomenon reminiscent of Endgame’s blip.
The second segment delves into what lies beyond the doors, featuring volunteers known as “Knockers” in hazmat suits taking real-time, 12-minute journeys to the other side.
The third segment attempts to provide scientific explanations, adding a layer of plausibility to the mysterious events, although the narrative remains somewhat enigmatic. A final, brief Zoom call feels out of place and undermines the strengths of the preceding segments.
While Doors impresses with its ambition, delivering a somewhat eerie Twilight Zone-esque experience, the lack of narrative coherence is noticeable. The film’s standout features lie in its production design—the doors, the atmospheric score, and overall visual aesthetics, all achieved on what appears to be a modest budget. Doors may look like a million dollars, but its screenplay and plot fall short, resembling more of a buck and a half.