I am a huge Portal/Portal 2 fan–it’s the basis of my Master’s thesis–so I get really excited when talented filmmakers bring the story to life through their adaptations. Yesterday, a new short indie film called Aperture: Lab Ratt was released by film studio SyntheticPh, and is based on the web comic released around the time Portal 2 came out last year. (It’s also in VALVe’s graphic novel anthology, which I highly recommend checking out, because it’s awesome.) Their film is pretty amazing. Check it out. This next one has been out for a year, but I just discovered it. It was made by Eisen Feuer, and is intended to take place after the first Portal game. I love that this has hints of humor, but the viewer is also reminded that Chell is, essentially, alone–or so she thinks. This one really captures the feel of the first game, and I thought the cake baking was really sweet. This one was directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who is the cohost of one of my favorite podcasts, The Totally Rad Show. It’s not very clear if the main character is intended to be Chell, the protagonist of Portal, but I think it’s safe to assume as much. Trachtenberg takes a much grittier approach to his adaptation, and also breaks away from the storyline quite a bit. I think the music and attention to detail shows what a great director he is. It’s a great time to be a nerd. It’s easier than ever to make great films on a low budget, and then share creations with fans from around the world. What I love about these three particular films is how differently each director approached the Portal universe. Each film maintained an undeniable sense of darkness, of fear, but they also each have a sliver of hope, showing that Chell is resilient, strong and not easily defeated. Which is like my favorite line from the Portal 2 comic: “Test subject is abnormally stubborn. She never gives up. Ever.”