Mute

I'm glad I was able to drag my tired butt to see this film on the last day of the Vail Film Festival. I hadn't really seen Melissa Joan Hart's television work & had no idea that she had designs to be a director, so it was hard to know what to expect. It turns out that "Mute" is a well-crafted, sinister little gem. It's hard to compare it to other films because it is so unusual in its telling and fantastic use of sound design.

In the opening scene, there is no music or foley, so of course, the audience begins to think something is wrong. Suddenly, the lead character introduces herself to the viewer as "Eileen Fool"...probably one of the best names since Hal Hartley's "Simon Grim". We quickly learn that due to a recent auto accident, she has been left deaf & mute. One of the best awkward moments of the film occurs right at the beginning, when Eileen's father parades her through a roomful of wedding guests, as if she can still hear & speak.

The whole film takes place at her perfectionist sister's wedding, which she plans to sabotage. I won't spoil the plot by telling you the reasons for her actions, but there are some deliciously cruel moments including an uncomfortable sign language interpreted wedding toast & a little blood on the dance floor.

Since the main character is deaf, the director and sound designer took the opportunity to make some strong choices regarding foley, music and use of silence. The dialogue is sparse and we experience most of the wedding through Eileen's eyes…with only her internal voice to guide us. "Mute" is like a modern day silent film, set in a Technicolor world and Emily Hart's performance brings to mind the wonderful acting by Nadia Sibirskaia in Kirsanoff's silent film "Ménilmontant". Most of the story relies on Emily's ability to convey everything she wants to say in her face, and she pulls it off stunningly.

I also have to mention the wonderful cinematography. Occasionally, it slips into a dreamy state and makes me wonder if what I'm seeing is real or a fiction created by the protagonist. The cinematographer's (Francis Dela Torre) rich use of color and amazing skill with framing creates a remarkable mood for this film. Of course, there is no mood if the script isn't really strong and luckily, Kristin Lipiro has written a clever and sharp story...all within the short time frame of 14 minutes.

Melissa Joan Hart has chosen her collaborators very well because the look, the words (or lack thereof) and the acting are outstanding. She clearly has a vision and an unusual one at that. I hate to sound like a cliché, but here goes, I can't wait to see her next project.

I've been in situations where physical abuse has caused me to want revenge, settle-the-score kind of thing in which I know who has the last laugh. I've been through it all, emotionally and wanted to take physical action, but have done many things to avoid those actions, as they are quite risky in terms of law enforcement. So I stay in my mind with these kinds of desirous thoughts/things instead and await the possibility of putting the revenges in my physical story without being the actual physical action myself, but using myself spiritually (my mind) to accomplish what Eileen accomplished in this film, at least in her mind. Sometimes if we just go there in our minds instead of acting upon our thoughts, we can feel better about what took place and what's going to go down in order to be able to 'call it even'. I liked this short film a lot because it was mind work to me, instead of true follow-through on her vengeful desires to get her sister back for doing what she did. No one can take yourself away from you unless you live life by default (instead of on purpose) and allow life to just happen to you. That's why focusing is so important to us here because we are all on our own journey toward life or death, based on a focused choice. I love films like this that spark the imaginations in us. I cannot say that I totally understood this film, but the main point was very clear, whether it was true action Eileen took or just thoughts that never led to any physical creation. Intriguing, nonetheless! Thank you director!

I saw this film at the San Diego Film Festival (it'll probably only be shown at festivals since it's not feature-length). If you get a chance, see it. The story revolves around a girl who has lost her hearing (and ability to speak, thus the title) due to an accident. Since she tells the story, we have to go with her, and it's part of the suspense that we don't really know if she's telling us everything or not. It has some humor, but it's mostly a "dreamy" sort of justification by the mute girl for her actions. What's really interesting is the sound in the movie. Since she's deaf and mute, the director chose to have some moments of silence and some isolated sounds. Some of these sounds were very effective choices - they enhanced the mood and heightened the suspense. The script is lean, the acting is excellent and the visuals are inventive yet appropriate to the telling of the story. Check this one out if you get a chance! And hopefully we'll get a feature-length film from her in the future.