The Bystanders

The Bystanders is an off-the-wall, sci-fi comedy set in a parallel dimension - a world in which invisible immortals watch over their subjects and intervene in their lives, often not for the better.

The Bystanders is a world of misfits and loners. Recruited from the human world, they pick people with no friends, no one
who will miss them if they vanish. Each Bystander has been tasked with watching a human subject. The story centres on the friendship between enthusiastic, newbie Pete and his world-weary tutor Frank, as Pete navigates this new, surreal world.

When Pete and Frank swap subjects, it starts a feud that will test their friendship and send their subjects lives into chaos, as they use them as pieces in a mad game of human chess.

Bystanders, invisible onlookers, are often irritated by their subject's behaviour, creating an opportunity for observational comedy and satire of modern city life.

Filled with mysterious moments, The Bystanders mixes retro sci-fi and silent comedy set-pieces. The filmmaking is eccentric and playful, including hand drawn rotoscope animation, creating its own idiosyncratic, odd-ball world.