Today we have a shortfilm called "The Black Hole", released in 2008 but I descovered it only one month ago.
Everything happens inside an office during the night. The directors and writers of the short (Phil Sansom and Olly Williams) chose Napolen Ryan as the only character of the film, and it's wonderful to see how his face expresses all his thoughts.
At this sci-fi story a worker makes photocopies at the machine but suddenly something happens, something weird. At the begining only a dull thing but at the end it becomes amazing and exciting.
As far as I'm concerned, it's a great exercise to make a shortfilm when you are a cinema student because you need to create a completely meaningful creation in only three or five minutes.
"The Black Hole" is a film that everybody must watch because it is very short and really thrilling. You want to play it again and again and maybe you will feel a little bit scared at the end.
20 Reviews
Was there a boy?
pigolkin23 November 2021
Short films almost always carry some kind of moral. Usually short films pose a simple but rather important question and answer it. Even if it's a tiny cartoon, it almost always has a theory of common sense.
In this case, such rhetoric works one hundred percent. Choosing between the temptation of evil and the complexity of good, a tired office worker chooses a more convenient one after a working day. With the help of a sheet of paper printed from a printer with a magic black hole, he gets himself a "Snickers" from a vending machine with food and drinks, and then the requests become serious, which turns into a fatal outcome.
In three minutes, Philip Sansom and Ollie Williams showed the perniciousness of greed simply and because of this gracefully. It is not necessary to make whole films or TV series about this, because it is enough to draw a fairly clear metaphor and accurately reflect its consequences.
Watching this short film will not take much time, so I advise you to open this video on YouTube to think about the question: "Should you let your greed or not?"
In this case, such rhetoric works one hundred percent. Choosing between the temptation of evil and the complexity of good, a tired office worker chooses a more convenient one after a working day. With the help of a sheet of paper printed from a printer with a magic black hole, he gets himself a "Snickers" from a vending machine with food and drinks, and then the requests become serious, which turns into a fatal outcome.
In three minutes, Philip Sansom and Ollie Williams showed the perniciousness of greed simply and because of this gracefully. It is not necessary to make whole films or TV series about this, because it is enough to draw a fairly clear metaphor and accurately reflect its consequences.
Watching this short film will not take much time, so I advise you to open this video on YouTube to think about the question: "Should you let your greed or not?"
A live-action version of The Hole Idea?
Rectangular_businessman22 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this short film was the Looney Tunes cartoon "The Hole Idea" by Robert McKimson, following a very similar premise, but in live action and played entirely seriously as a minimalistic morality tale about greed.
Personally I didn't find it as incredible as some reviews written here claim, but it was okay. At least its brevity makes this go directly to the point without wasting too much time, and that is quality I sincerely appreciate.
It's very easy to condemn individual greed, especially the greed of the "common man". It takes much more complexity to criticize the hypocrisy of a system that completely endorses and gives a free pass to the greed of a few, corrupt rich people that controls the lives of others.
That is the real "elite" ruling the world, disregard of their political opinions.
Sad how even fiction seems to have accepted them as a obligatory part of life.
Personally I didn't find it as incredible as some reviews written here claim, but it was okay. At least its brevity makes this go directly to the point without wasting too much time, and that is quality I sincerely appreciate.
It's very easy to condemn individual greed, especially the greed of the "common man". It takes much more complexity to criticize the hypocrisy of a system that completely endorses and gives a free pass to the greed of a few, corrupt rich people that controls the lives of others.
That is the real "elite" ruling the world, disregard of their political opinions.
Sad how even fiction seems to have accepted them as a obligatory part of life.
Great
0U25 February 2020
The Black Hole is a fun Looney Tunes-inspired cautionary tale about a lowly office worker discovering a portable portal. The concept of the portal is familiar but at a brisk three-minutes filmmakers, Philip Sansom and Olly Williams, keep it tight and engaging. You'll see the end way before the protagonist does but that is part of the appeal.
Fans should check out the short film, Room 8.
Fans should check out the short film, Room 8.
Enter the void.
Pjtaylor-96-1380448 December 2021
'The Black Hole (2008)' looks like a mid-2000s advertisement for a chocolate bar, the sort of thing in which an unhappy office worker is given a specific brand of chocolate and his world goes from black-and-white to technicolour, as it were. In fact, this would've been a perfect ad for 'Snickers' if it finished a little earlier and had a "get some nuts!" tag at the end. Aesthetic aside, this is a really concise and confident short film about a man who discovers that the office printer may in fact not be of this world when it prints a magic black hole capable of bypassing any surface it is pressed up against. The thing is an example of the perils of greed, with an appropriately dark ending and a (subtly) satirically comical tone. It's an entertaining and intriguing experience that makes the most of its premise and doesn't outstay its welcome. 7/10.
A Short and Deep Tale of Greed
claudio_carvalho19 December 2009
While working after hours copying documents, the bored clerk kicks and punches the buttons of the photocopy machine when it jams. The photocopier releases a piece of paper with a black circle in the center, and when the clerk puts his cup of coffee on the spot, he discovers that it is indeed a black hole. The clerk uses the black hole to get a chocolate bar from a vending machine. Then the greedy employee decides to use the black hole to open the door of a room with a safe and steal the money from inside. However, he does not reach the wads of notes on the bottom and enters in the safe to take all the money out with tragic consequences.
"The Black Hole" is a short and deep tale of greed of human nature. It is impressive how the writers and directors Philip Sansom and Olly Williams were able to make a short of less than 3 minutes running time without any line and succeed in transmitting one of the seven deadly sins ( "Avaritia") so perfectly and with right dose of humor. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): Not Available
"The Black Hole" is a short and deep tale of greed of human nature. It is impressive how the writers and directors Philip Sansom and Olly Williams were able to make a short of less than 3 minutes running time without any line and succeed in transmitting one of the seven deadly sins ( "Avaritia") so perfectly and with right dose of humor. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): Not Available
Believable, to an extent, and well done
SyoKennex2 December 2017
The Black Hole is a short comedy, thriller, crime short film by Philip Samson and Olly Williams, released in 2008. When a sleep deprived office worker accidentally photocopies a black hole late one night, the possibilities suddenly seem endless. But will greed get the better of him?
This was a really well done short film. With simply no dialogue, and an obvious route when it gets there, this is a film about morality, with a simple meaning behind it. Normally, I would be annoyed by a film like this – it goes about it in quite an obvious way, with no other way it could go, but Samson and Williams did this really well. It was paced, fast paced, but paced out so that it didn't go on for too long.
The acting in this was really well done; I'm amazed at just how well Napoleon Ryan did in this short film. He did really well, and he really played the part of a greed stricken man very well. It was really not hard to believe this was just another greedy office worker in the world, and it wasn't hard to believe he was real.
This had a humorous ending and was really well done. Kudos to Samson and Williams. I will definitely be looking for more from them.
This was a really well done short film. With simply no dialogue, and an obvious route when it gets there, this is a film about morality, with a simple meaning behind it. Normally, I would be annoyed by a film like this – it goes about it in quite an obvious way, with no other way it could go, but Samson and Williams did this really well. It was paced, fast paced, but paced out so that it didn't go on for too long.
The acting in this was really well done; I'm amazed at just how well Napoleon Ryan did in this short film. He did really well, and he really played the part of a greed stricken man very well. It was really not hard to believe this was just another greedy office worker in the world, and it wasn't hard to believe he was real.
This had a humorous ending and was really well done. Kudos to Samson and Williams. I will definitely be looking for more from them.
Delightful or Just Desserts
Hitchcoc5 April 2019
A man, using a copying machine, is presented with a large sheet of paper with a big, black spot on it. It turns out it is a transportable hole. One can place it on a wall and be able to reach through it. The potential is amazing, but we are greedy creatures, and sometimes we don't think before we act.
A joke of a movie
Horst_In_Translation22 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
And I do not mean this in any negative way. To me, this little film felt like a joke that you tell somebody with a punchline in the end and everything before that leads to this ending. "The Black Hole" is a 2.5-minute short film from sever years ago written and directed by Philip Sansom and Olly Williams. A man realizes that the document he just printed works as a black hole, so he can grab some sweets for free, but he gets greedier and greedier and his next target is the company's safe. He goes for it and it seems like a success, but only until his greed gets the best of him and he decides to pretty much climb into the safe. Bed decision here. Unfortunately, the two filmmakers have not managed to build a feature film career on the Youtube success of this little movie here. The lead actor at least appeared in minor roles in famous films such as "The Master". Good watch here and I recommend. Certainly worth 2-3 minutes of your time.
Awesome Short Film
ndeschweinitz27 January 2021
The lengths a bored office worker will go to...
logicproreviews6 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Saw this a while back, it's a simple story with a nice little twist at the end. We follow this office worker who discovers a literal black hole on a print out. He tests it out until a light bulb goes off and he considers the office safe. Greed takes over and our hero gets trapped. Nicely shot and atmospheric.
One of the human vices
nastyvyps22 November 2021
I used to watch short films, but I didn't like them. But when I watched "The black hole" I changed my mind. The film is based on a real-life topic. The style of the film as disturbing as in horror films. "The black hole" keeps viewers in suspense from beginning to end. The most interesting thing is that in such a short video, the directors were able to fit a huge meaning. I am incredibly glad that I have watched this movie.
This short film is about a man who could not resist temptation. He had the opportunity to pass through walls and objects. And then he decided to take money from the safe. But once he started robbing, he couldn't stop. He could not fulfill the challenge that fate have prepared for him. This film describes one of the human vices. Greed can play a bad joke with each of us.
Excellent acting, horror music and graphics technologies help to quickly immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the film. It's amazing. This allows us to look at it from the outside. This short movie as interesting as a full - fledged movie. I believe that the film will always be relevant and everyone will be interested to watch it.
This short film is about a man who could not resist temptation. He had the opportunity to pass through walls and objects. And then he decided to take money from the safe. But once he started robbing, he couldn't stop. He could not fulfill the challenge that fate have prepared for him. This film describes one of the human vices. Greed can play a bad joke with each of us.
Excellent acting, horror music and graphics technologies help to quickly immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the film. It's amazing. This allows us to look at it from the outside. This short movie as interesting as a full - fledged movie. I believe that the film will always be relevant and everyone will be interested to watch it.
Don't waste your time!
m-4106722 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Today I watched the thriller "The black hole". I've seen snippets of it on social media, but I've only now found it in full. To be honest, I was disappointed after watching it. The film is about an office worker who, during the copying process, prints out a black hole. He didn't miss the opportunity and decided to change his life by stealing money from the safe. But the initial success, turned out to be a failure. At the moment, the special effects look boring and unimpressive, but for 2008 they're done cool. The plot of the film is boring and I have knewn the main plot twists. To sum it up, I want to say that you won't waste a lot of time watching the movie, but I won't recommend it for viewing. I regret I have wasted a lot of my time watching this movie.
Human Greed
ks1915 February 2014
This movie is only three minutes long, but it is enough to describe man's greediness. I thought once again if you could get anything, you would continue to want.
A man is working in the office late at night and he has to copy many pieces of paper. A black hole is printed on one of them. He finds that he can get something through it. Then he decides to use that black hole to get the bills in the safe.
The story is simple and very easy to understand. Even so, the messages are certainly in it. Also, it is just funny. When I finished watching this short, I felt it is bad thing to want too much. However, if I were in the similar situation, I would do the same thing.
A man is working in the office late at night and he has to copy many pieces of paper. A black hole is printed on one of them. He finds that he can get something through it. Then he decides to use that black hole to get the bills in the safe.
The story is simple and very easy to understand. Even so, the messages are certainly in it. Also, it is just funny. When I finished watching this short, I felt it is bad thing to want too much. However, if I were in the similar situation, I would do the same thing.
Not Sci-Fi by DUST
m-1525214 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Black Hole
This short episode was published on DUST channel, film was made in 2008 and that interesting to see how DUST's episodes changed by time. Because now they show some really exciting Sci-Fi short films. But if we talk about Black Hole, I think we all understand that is a bad Sci-Fi.
Short film tell story about office worker who looks like Neo from start of «Matrix» and storyteller from «Fight Club» in one time. He printed out some Black circle that have a specific effect - it tears up space. When office-worker understood this, he started take all what saw in office from Snickers in vending machine to Money in vault. And this story has a funny final.
Story in film for me not very exciting, and this magic circle hasn't got some logical reason of occurrence, it was just printed out from xerox. That why for me «Black Hole» is bad Sci-Fi. But color correction and view of hero which sand to classical films can be pluses of film.
In end I can tell that is good that this film was made. Maybe some film director students made «Black Hole» and I hope that now they work in big production as Netflix's «Black mirror» or «Love, Death and Robots». You can see «Black Hole» and another films of DUST if you want to see some unusually short stories.
Short film tell story about office worker who looks like Neo from start of «Matrix» and storyteller from «Fight Club» in one time. He printed out some Black circle that have a specific effect - it tears up space. When office-worker understood this, he started take all what saw in office from Snickers in vending machine to Money in vault. And this story has a funny final.
Story in film for me not very exciting, and this magic circle hasn't got some logical reason of occurrence, it was just printed out from xerox. That why for me «Black Hole» is bad Sci-Fi. But color correction and view of hero which sand to classical films can be pluses of film.
In end I can tell that is good that this film was made. Maybe some film director students made «Black Hole» and I hope that now they work in big production as Netflix's «Black mirror» or «Love, Death and Robots». You can see «Black Hole» and another films of DUST if you want to see some unusually short stories.
Out You Take and in You Go
Screen_O_Genic27 August 2020
Ahhh, to have what we want easily. The ultimate dream. If only it were that easy with no catch at all. Take an average Joe in his mundane job who's halfway into the twilight zone and hand him the dream of a lifetime. Will he be able to handle it? One of the best and imaginative shorts this entertaining and memorable nugget is what bite-sized films are all about.
Snickers really satisfies
injury-6544722 May 2020
Was there a boy?
pigolkin23 November 2021
Short films almost always carry some kind of moral. Usually short films pose a simple but rather important question and answer it. Even if it's a tiny cartoon, it almost always has a theory of common sense.
In this case, such rhetoric works one hundred percent. Choosing between the temptation of evil and the complexity of good, a tired office worker chooses a more convenient one after a working day. With the help of a sheet of paper printed from a printer with a magic black hole, he gets himself a "Snickers" from a vending machine with food and drinks, and then the requests become serious, which turns into a fatal outcome.
In three minutes, Philip Sansom and Ollie Williams showed the perniciousness of greed simply and because of this gracefully. It is not necessary to make whole films or TV series about this, because it is enough to draw a fairly clear metaphor and accurately reflect its consequences.
Watching this short film will not take much time, so I advise you to open this video on YouTube to think about the question: "Do you let your greed or not?"
In this case, such rhetoric works one hundred percent. Choosing between the temptation of evil and the complexity of good, a tired office worker chooses a more convenient one after a working day. With the help of a sheet of paper printed from a printer with a magic black hole, he gets himself a "Snickers" from a vending machine with food and drinks, and then the requests become serious, which turns into a fatal outcome.
In three minutes, Philip Sansom and Ollie Williams showed the perniciousness of greed simply and because of this gracefully. It is not necessary to make whole films or TV series about this, because it is enough to draw a fairly clear metaphor and accurately reflect its consequences.
Watching this short film will not take much time, so I advise you to open this video on YouTube to think about the question: "Do you let your greed or not?"
Not amazing perhaps but punchy, well developed and well delivered
bob the moo21 February 2011
Silently and in three minutes this little short film delivers a single punch-line that is an end to the tale and it does it is a very enjoyable way. An office worker is busy doing pointless photocopying late at night and is clearly tired and fed up with the whole affair. When the copier produces a piece of paper with a black circle on it he finds that it somehow creates a void in any object he puts it against. So taking a chocolate bar out of the vending machine by creating a void in the glass is a given, but it takes mere seconds for his ambitions to be greater.
A simple morality tale this one but well delivered as a contained idea – get in, get out and satisfy the audience with the slightest of offerings. There is no dialogue here but it still works because the idea is simple and delivered well. I laughed at the end, although it did have a certain dramatic edge to it as well. A very simple short film but the idea is quickly developed and delivered which made it surprisingly satisfying and punchy.
A simple morality tale this one but well delivered as a contained idea – get in, get out and satisfy the audience with the slightest of offerings. There is no dialogue here but it still works because the idea is simple and delivered well. I laughed at the end, although it did have a certain dramatic edge to it as well. A very simple short film but the idea is quickly developed and delivered which made it surprisingly satisfying and punchy.
Arabian fairy tale
Kirpianuscus16 February 2018
A special gift. to a bored clerk. the too many posibilities to use it. and, the error as result of deep sin. modern in every aspect, it reminds the old Arabian Nights. for the moral, for the character who is transformed, step by step, by his discover, for the end who reminds the limit of the bocke by reality. a film about greed, at the first sigh. in fact, only the subtle question "what you do if..." is the basic source of seduction and challenge for the viewer.
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