With quite a bit of success on the indie film fest circuit, the unique and inspired psychological drama short A Mime is a Terrible Thing to Waste takes an abstract look into the story of Pinocchio by looking into the relationship between Michel (Michael Batten), a mime, and Rock (Bhasker Patel), a puppet with whom Michel is in love.

While it may seem like A Mime is a Terrible Thing to Waste would be a film being played for laughs, rest assured that director Hernan Diaz Laserna has crafted a film, based upon a script by Pia Cook, that is poignant, insightful and intimate in the story that unfolds. The film is, at its very core, a story that reminds us that a life lived without love isn't a life at all. It's a life lesson brought powerfully to life through the performances of Patel and Batten, whose relationship feels genuine and touching and unhealthy and, yeah, maybe a little weird. Patel's Rock is a narcissist torn between serving his ego and acknowledging the one vital truth that eventually reveals itself.

While Patel's performance has a certain darkness to it, there's a vulnerability within Michael Batten's genuinely touching performance as Michel that is rather aching even within the short span of a 20-minute film. Together, they sell this tale in a way that feels genuine and satisfying.

Kirill Proskura's lensing is intimate yet also unsettling, while Stefano Barzaghi's original music lends the film an edge that plays well alongside the film's psychological foundation.

For more information on A Mime is a Terrible Thing to Waste, visit the film's Facebook page linked to in the credits.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic