Static Codes takes place years after a family of three is devastated by a horrible car crash, ripping their mother and wife away from them and leaving them with years of painful grief and many unanswered questions. We watch as a devastated husband tries to make sense of her disappearance, constantly reminding us of the “aliens” that attacked them at the sight of the crash. Static Codes is a beautiful sci-fi journey of grief as we watch how a loss of a loved one can lead to an unhealthy obsession with finding the answers and odd coping mechanisms.

Shane Woodson’s performance as Richard is so captivating and genius. You feel so bad for him the entirety of the film as you watch the grief consume and ruin his life. Some scenes are uncomfortable to watch because you really feel for him, especially with the almost suicide scene where his poor puppy was almost involved. The acting felt so raw and real, watching this lonely man lose everything after losing one of the most important people in his life. It almost makes you want to root for him that it is aliens, to at least give him some sort of win. While it’s easy to dislike Angela at first with how rude she is to her father, it’s important to remember she’s just another side of grieving with her anger being completely justified. I like that they made that realistic because imagine you lose your mother, and your dad keeps babbling on about aliens. She does end up coming around towards the end once everything gets crazy. Their bond throughout this whole film is pretty sweet, too.

The plot is pretty good, the movie doesn’t drag and there’s always something happening. Two thirds in, the movie takes a turn, and it leaves you on the edge of your seat and wanting to see what comes next. The characters grow and don’t just stay the same from beginning to end, it’s interesting to see them change as crazy new things begin to unfold especially with Richard and Angela finally talking everything out and explaining things.

This is an interesting film to watch. It starts off strong to reel you in, making you want to stay till the end to see what the big reveal is. It’s crazy and sweet and great all at the same time. A great view of how grief can take over someone’s life and how the cycle can continue on, positively or negatively, depending on how you let it lead your life. Also, I loved Buster, the dog!