ST. LOUIS — It's a typical request when your internet browser insists you prove that you're a human.
"It's one that's like, select all the photos with mountains, select all the photos with bridges."
It's the subject behind St. Louis Filmmaker, Andy Compton’s short film: CAPTCHA. The plot follows a paranoid man with a new roommate. When the roommate struggles to complete an internet captcha, the man begins to suspect he may be living with a robot.
"We market it as a sci fi-thriller, horror comedy,' Compton says.
The cast and crew are all based in the St. Louis region, and many of them met through The Improv Shop in Downtown St. Louis.
"We did a lot of improv on set too. And I think that is something that I really enjoy when I make comedies is that I usually work with people with improv backgrounds and I have one too. So, the script is what it is. We have that on paper. We'll get a couple takes of that, but then let's just have fun," Compton explains.
The teams chemistry shows through in the finished product.
"People say sometimes you can feel when the film crew had fun making a movie, and I think that's what happened with ours. There's like something magical that we hadn't felt yet," he says.
The film is screening Sunday night at the Alamo Drafthouse as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival Shorts programs.
"If you want to just come take a break from life and have a laugh. Honestly, I think that's what our movie is. We we don't take it too serious. You shouldn't either," Compton says.
For more information about the St. Louis International Film Festival, schedules and tickets, visit cinemeastlouis.org.
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