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A Time-Traveler Risks Everything to Right a Great Wrong in Sci-Fi Short Tethers

The 5-minute film is directed by Matthew Steele Finley and written by Jonathan Horne and James Legg.

A woman with dark hair gazes forward with a serious expression as a man bends down to speak with her.
A time-traveler ponders what she’s about to do.
Screenshot: Dust

After a decade of preparation, Anna (Abigail Williams) is finally ready to travel back in time to warn a loved one of danger coming their way. But what will be the cost of her daring journey? As short film Tethers explores, sometimes walking right into a paradox is the only path a person can take.

The time-travel technology isn’t shown in Tethers, which was first shared by Dust; instead, we just see Anna go “poof” and suddenly she’s in the past. But it works for this simple, heartfelt story, which is way more about the characters making a connection than whatever contraption is making their meeting possible.

The ending is more than a bit ambiguous—it isn’t clear what Rachel (Alicia Kelley) decided to do with all the critical information that suddenly fell into her lap, and whether Anna’s desperate pleadings influenced her choice. But it’s implied that maybe things didn’t go the way Anna was hoping. What do you think?

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