Pathos is a 2009 Italian shortscience-fictionhorror film. It was created by the independent Illusion Video Production company. One of the founders of the company, Fabio Prati,[1][2][3] also plays the unnamed protagonist in his first screen role.[6][7] The short was made in the filmmakers' spare time.[5][8] Set in a dystopian,[7][9]post-apocalyptic Earth, the film depicts human beings living isolated from one other, slaves of a system of their own invention in control of their senses, thoughts and actions,[10] paying for intense virtual reality "lives" based on a digital copy of human civilisation before its collapse.[11] The short has been compared to the works of Philip K. Dick,[9] and to feature films such as THX-1138, Avalon, Total Recall, and, most frequently, The Matrix.[12][6][13][14]
The short won several awards and honours. Since its original festival run, Pathos has received general theatrical releases through its inclusion in a pair of science-fiction horror anthology films, Corti - Pacchetto Viola (Italy, 2012), and Galaxy of Horrors (Canada, 2017).
^ abcdefg"Pathos". Vimeo. Illusion. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
^ abcd"Pathos". LaboCine (in Italian). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
^ ab"Selected Works". Illusion Video Production. Retrieved 4 February 2019.