Stay, a short film inspired by The Last of Us, manages to perfectly translate the series' well-crafted environmental storytelling to film. In gaming, environmental storytelling is a narrative device used to enhanced the digital world. Games like BioShock employ audio diaries to take advantage of said device; on many occasions, even well-placed assets - trinkets, suitcases, blood trails - scattered throughout a space can do the trick.
The Last of Us' environmental storytelling exists in notes, dead bodies positioned in a certain way, suitcases strewn about, left behind by those unable to escape a fate worse than death. One poignant example of this in the first game happens in Ish's sewers, wherein Joel slowly learns of what happened to a small community of people who tried surviving the apocalypse by living life as normally as possible. It's a heartbreaking tale, a story so well scripted that it may even rival the overarching narrative. Somehow, someone's found a way to translate a similarly bit-sized anecdote to film.
Filmmaker Joshua Toonen directed and wrote Stay, a live-action short film set in the world of The Last of Us. The film features Ellie, but predominantly stars two survivors who long to reach Santa Monica Pier. Tragedy strikes along the way, though, unfolding in a manner all too familiar to those who know the unforgiving nature of The Last of Us' world. We won't spoil the ending here, but it's worth acknowledging that Toonen masterfully frames the story in a way that brings to life what Naughty Dog accomplished with environmental storytelling in-game. Simply put, this is a short fans of the franchise won't want to miss.
The Last of Us faithful have no shortage of fan-made films to sink their teeth into; Stay serves as another stellar effort by the audience's more creative members. And it's one of those shorts that proves even more captivating upon a second watch.
Of course, the franchise is set to hit the small screen in the not-too-distant future, thanks to an adaptation from HBO. Pedro Pascal will star as Joel in the TV series, while Game of Thrones alum Bella Ramsey assumes the role of Ellie.
The Last of Us Part II is available to play now on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Source: Joshua Toonen