Router is a very intense short film that has potential to become a feature film with the right script. The premise is very simple, but a saturated plot could kill its purpose if handled in a big budget direction.

Jeanine (Brittany Vicars) is alone at home trying to spend some time on her phone. When her internet goes down, she tries to reset the signal until she discovers a message that’ll put her neighbors’ lives in danger, and even hers.

In much the same way as other plotlines where calls for help come in strange forms like pizza boxes, letters hidden in the daily mail, or receipts with items describing something outrageous, Router brings another creative way to call for help– it becomes a help guide for whoever needs it in a moment of help. Because it’s a short film, there’s not much opportunity to build tension to plant stress on the audience, but it manages to leave a breath of suspense behind with its abrupt ending. It brings a story with which several people could feel identified. Who hasn’t gone through moments in which they read the names of the nearby wireless routers? Some of us even laugh at the ridiculous names some owners give to their devices.

Router goes straight to the point to narrate a person’s experience from a gloomy perspective, while the horrified victims ask and hope to be rescued. Nothing is wasted during its runtime, but it seems to gasp for more room to breathe and bring other elements to aid its plot. Even when it achieves excellence, there’s an option to do more and deliver a tense evening. For now, we’ll settle with what we have and try to do our best to not panic.

10 OUT OF 10 SMARTPHONES