Ten With a Flag, directed by Vasco Alexandre and written by Joe Capps, sets an expecting couple in a dystopian-like world where people are assigned a number by the government. This number dictates the child’s quality of intelligence. The assignment applies to newborns as well as adults. The expecting couple, Jack (Bryan Moriarty) and Gemma (Julie Martis), have just learned that their child will be born as a 10, the highest number given. They quickly learn that this will not come free of complications or sacrifices.

“…Jack and Gemma have just learned that their child will be born as a 10…”
This is a short film budding with character and style. Given the resources, there is fertile soil here for a more fleshed-out feature. It is beautifully shot with fantastic camera work that is similar to the type of imagery you might see from A24. Moriarty brings a detached and almost haunting performance. Martis delivers an equally impressive sincerity and hypnotic piece of acting.
The plot is reminiscent of an episode of Black Mirror. The setting isn’t necessarily sci-fi, but it does have an other-worldly feel. The mood of Ten With a Flag is ominous and intriguing. I would like to see this developed into a feature, but this 15-minute flick is a very worthy morsel for viewing.