As a bit of a sci-fi nerd – especially when it comes to books – I often find myself pondering the big questions about the universe and humanity’s place within it. Of all those mysteries, the one that captivates me most is the possibility of alien life. Many believe it’s only a matter of time – perhaps even in our own lifetimes – before we detect signs of life beyond Earth. But what form will it take? From Spielberg to Villeneuve, countless filmmakers have explored first contact stories, each imagining extraterrestrials in wildly different ways.In Andrew Foerster’s 10-minute animated short The God Man, humanity’s first glimpse of alien life arrives not as a spaceship or a cryptic signal, but as a massive, godlike body drifting silently through the cosmos toward Earth. The film is told from the perspective of Jonah Weisman, who was working as an observational astrogeologist at the Lick Observatory in the ‘60s. It is Weisman who first spots this celestial through his telescope – a discovery that not only upends his own understanding of existence but sends ripples through society at large, forcing humanity to confront questions far bigger than itself.Observational astrogeologist Jonah Weisman at work at the Lick ObservatoryTold through talking head interviews and archival footage, The God Man takes a grounded, documentary-style approach that’s refreshingly unexpected for an animated film about alien life. This stylistic choice is precisely what makes the short stand out. It’s slow-paced and dialogue-heavy, with minimal on-screen action (choosing a striking image for the article header proved tricky), but this restraint lends the film a surprising sense of realism. When we do eventually discover alien life, this revelation won’t come in the form of a dramatic invasion, as so many sci-fi stories suggest. More likely, it will happen from a distance – quietly, ambiguously. The God Man taps into that possibility, making its cosmic premise feel intimate, eerie, and entirely believable.Aesthetically, Foerster reinforces this approach with a series of thoughtful visual choices. The archival clips are rendered with a grainy, aged texture; the telescope footage appears soft and slightly unfocused; and the occasional B-roll – objects on a desk, a tape recorder – has a handheld, almost improvised feel. Every element of the production feels carefully calibrated and cohesive, all working together to build the film’s quiet authenticity. It’s no surprise, then, to discover that Foerster handled nearly every aspect of the production himself. The only exceptions are the music and sound design by Jason Stamatyades, lip sync animation by Lily Chiao, the voice of the interviewer performed by Pazit Cahlon, and the design of the titular ‘God Man’ by Trevor Henderson. The result is a meticulously crafted short that’s as visually restrained as it is conceptually ambitious.One of the most-pleasing things about Foerster’s film, is that we knew absolutely nothing about it before it was recommended to us by the YouTube algorithm. Although it had played a number of festivals world-wide, it had never crossed our radar. With almost one-million views on YT, we certainly can’t take any credit for its discovery, but we’re excited to help share it with even more viewers. With the director operating under the alias Rewfoe, his channel has built a healthy subscriber-ship in the 10+ years he’s been on the platform. You can see more of his commercial work on his website – link below 👇