The short film adaptation of the 2013 puzzle video game titled "Papers, Please" created by independent developer Lucas Pope, is now available to watch for free on both YouTube and Steam.
"Papers, Please" — The Short Film is directed by Nikita Ordynskiy and produced by Liliya Tkach following a script that was written by Ordynskiy, Tkach and Pope. The movie stars Igor Savochkin, Evgeniy Tokarev, Antonina Kravtsova, Mikhail Panykov and Victoriya Tsygankova. The music was made by Dmitry Kondratenko and Pope.
According to Polygon, the 10-minute Russian-language film has subtitles in 22 languages. The film takes after the game whose system is designed to present a moral dilemma to players — whether to accomplish one's job accurately or give in to one's compassion over the pleas of citizens who lack proper documentation. Moreover, Polygon reported that the compact thriller makes one think about the consequences of sympathy as well as the happenings that lead one to make a choice concerning an act of compassion.
According to the Steam page of the game, "Papers, Please" is set in a dystopian Eastern Bloc-like country Arstotzka in 1982, which has recently ended a six-year-long war with a neighboring country, Kolechia. Players take on the role of a border crossing immigration officer who is tasked to control the number of people entering the Arstotzkan side of Grestin from Kolechia. Hiding among the immigrants and visitors are smugglers, spies and terrorists that the immigration officer must look out for.
To accomplish the job properly, the immigration officer will have to review and compare every citizens' passports and supporting documents against the Ministry of Admission's primitive inspect, search, and fingerprint systems. Players must allow only those who have the proper paperwork, reject those who lack the needed documents and detain those whose papers are forged.
"Papers, Please" — The Short Film is free to watch on YouTube and Steam. Meanwhile, "Papers, Please" is currently on sale at 50% off for $4.99 until March 1.
