I Miss You

A Kind-Of Review of My Favorite Short Film

Over the past few months, I've really been trying to further immerse myself in the world of film and build my short film watch list. In that process, I came across I Miss You, directed by Anton Sheptooha and Nick L'Barrow and I absolutely adore it.

Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F5oD7G40ng&index=149&list=WL

The story is simple and is told entirely through a voiceover by the main character that turns out to be an email he is writing to his ex-girlfriend. Though the storyline is simple, the execution creates such empathy with the characters that the audience feels as if they have witnessed firsthand the entire relationship; love, heartache, and all. At least, it does for me.

I am particularly fond of the voiceover and the writing in this film. The words are so heartfelt and emotional that every ounce of love and every ounce of pain can be heard and felt. And the softness of his voice adds a vulnerability that perfectly compliments the words he's speaking. Poetic narration is one of my favorite things that can be done (both to watch and to write) and this film was especially helpful on that front as I began to write the screenplay for my own upcoming short (to be released in Spring 2016), which will rely heavily on inner monologue.

Visually, I like how the story is told from their first meeting, through their relationship, and to the present where he is writing the email. The way the images sometimes slightly contradict with the words being said adds another emotional element that helps the audience feel a longing for the "good" moments: "Why am I missing this girl that I have no connection to? Why do I feel so heartbroken?" That, my friends, is called empathy. This film does a great job of making the audience feel as if it is them living through this moment.

All in all, I absolutely love this film and I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. I definitely think you should check it out. I hope you like it as much as I do. Ciao!